Louis's Teddy Bear
by C.Queen
Summary: Louis needs a place to crash for a month and talks family friend Teddy into letting him stay with him, having no idea just how wrapped around his little finger Teddy really is.
1. Becoming Roommates

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy.

Becoming Roommates

People stopped to watch the blonde strolling down the street, their glances admiring, lustful and or envious. The young man was slightly over six feet tall with a slim, almost girlie build that went with the shoulder length blonde hair currently pulled back into a tail at the nape. The strong, stubborn chin and jaw kept the man's face from being beautiful, giving it just enough masculinity that most wouldn't mistake him for a woman. Bright blue eyes dancing with energy and nerves completed the look, and matched the shirt the man was wearing perfectly. That and the tailored slacks and pierced ear suggested a stylish fashion sense.

He was so good looking that no one even questioned why he'd come to a stop in front of a row of townhouses, pausing directly between two of them as if waiting for something.

Louis Weasley watched as the Black ancestral home slowly came into view when the street finally cleared of anyone save himself, like an accordion being opened wide without the annoying sounds, the Gryffindor thought in amusement. So far, so good. Not that getting into the house was the hard part if it had already been told to appear when you came to stand in front of it. No, the hard part was going to be when he knocked on the door, which would hopefully be answered by Teddy, and talk the older man into letting him stay at his place for a while.

Of all his family Teddy was the most private and least sociable. The man was the definition of a loner.

So the older man would definitely have to be talked into letting him stay, but Louis was pretty sure he could do it. He had to after all. He needed a place to stay for a while and going home was not appealing. Not that he didn't love his parents, because he did, but no self respecting twenty two year old lived at home, even temporarily in the Gryffindor's book. Not unless he was doing it for the sake of said parents, which he wasn't, Louis thought as he walked up to ring the bell, shoving his hands in his pockets after to hide his nerves.

And it wasn't like he needed a place to stay long, just a month or so at most. It shouldn't take that long to find himself a roommate and a place to stay. Hopefully.

Hearing the sound of locks being undone Louis pasted a bright smile on his face as the door opened. "Hi, Teddy!"

Crossing his arms in front of him Teddy's surprise at the unexpected visit didn't show. His control was far too good for that. "Good evening, Louis. This is unexpected, come in."

Smiling his thanks Louis did so, shrugging off his coat and hanging it up before following the older man towards the parlor, taking in the fact that the man was dressed in a suit and tie, perfectly tailored, expensive and very flattering. Business was obviously good, the Gryffindor thought as he took a seat across from the other man. "Did I catch you on your way out somewhere, or did you just get back from work? Cause I hope that you haven't become such a workaholic you're wearing suits at home now." He added with a grin.

"I just got in two minutes ago. Excellent timing on your part." Leaning forward Teddy gave the blonde his full attention. "So to what do I owe the pleasure? It's not like you to waste a Saturday night off visiting me."

"Well ouch." Louis winced. He couldn't argue with that. There was an eight year gap in their ages, so that even when they saw each other at family gatherings they normally hung out with the cousins closest to them in age as opposed to with each other. But Teddy had always been his favorite babysitter, and they'd gotten along really well when he was younger.

Lips curving slightly in amusement Teddy's cobalt eyes showed a hint of the affection he felt for the younger man. "I didn't mean it that way. But you have something you've come to discuss with me, don't you? Some more financial questions about the restaurant you eventually want to open? Or have you decided you can live with having some family members as silent partners."

Louis was well aware that his family would be willing to spot him the money needed to buy the restaurant of his dreams, but it wouldn't be his if he wasn't the one paying for it. And he didn't want to have to pay anyone back, or worry about letting anyone down but himself if he couldn't make his business work. That and he was only twenty two, some more years experience in the business could only do him good, Louis ruefully admitted, if only to himself. So he was saving up his money and experience for the time being.

"No, though my plan does have something to do with why I'm here." And knowing better than to beat around the bush Louis dove into his explanation as to why he'd dropped by unexpectedly. "I need a place to live since Fritz and I just broke up. He said it was him or me cutting back my hours at work and that wasn't going to happen, so yeah, the flat was his first so I'm out. I know I could go somewhere else but I was thinking…well…I've never lived on my own, ever. And living here with you, well it would sort of be that way, would it? You'd be like my landlord. This place is big, and everyone knows you're always working so we'd hardly see each other. And I'd pay rent and cook for you, you probably skip meals all the time, right? Gran and Aunt Ginny are always worrying that you aren't eating enough. And it wouldn't be for long, just a month or two while I find somewhere else."

While it was true that all the women in his family were unusually interested in his eating habits, that wasn't what had Teddy reeling from surprise. Of all the reasons his brilliant mind had come up with for why the younger man would be visiting him the idea that the blonde would be looking for a place to live hadn't even occurred to him. They had loads of cousins of all, several of them closer to Louis's age and more than capable of providing him with a place to crash.

He could understand not wanting to move home at Louis's age, but still. "Someone didn't put you up to this, did they?" Everyone in their family thought he worked too hard and while Louis also had a very good work ethic the man was also well known for knowing how to let his hair down once the work was done. In his case relaxing was not one of his strong suits, Teddy thought wryly. So maybe someone had asked the younger man to come and give him an attitude adjustment?

"No. They'll be as surprised as you are." Louis assured him. "I could get a place by myself easily enough, but I'd rather look for a roommate for the time being, so I can split the rent to save my money better."

"Ah. And what about your plan to become more independent by living here with me? Since I'm not around often?"

Louis grinned. "Well, I don't think I'll like living by myself. You know what a people person I am."

Did he ever, Teddy thought to himself as he shared a look of understanding with the other man. For Louis to be boyfriend less was almost as rare as the man being without a swarm of friends around him. The blonde turned people into mindless moths, drawing them to his flame like they were hypnotized.

Who could blame them?

"So? Can I stay here with you? No loud parties or men, promise. I'm swearing off dating for the time being. It's more trouble than it's worth."

"Somehow I doubt you can go a month without a man, but I suppose anything is possible."

Cocking his head to the side thoughtfully Louis studied the other man's face, trying to figure out what Teddy was thinking. Easier said then done. He could see that the older man was thinking over his request, and knowing him well Louis knew that all the pros and cons would be weighed before he got his answer. Teddy Lupin was never impulsive or emotion driven, he had the coolest, most analytical mind Louis could ever recall having come up against.

Most people tended to find Teddy intimidating, unmoving, and old fashioned, people often making parallels between the man and his grandmother, who was equally as formidable. And while he'd applied those words to describe the man to others Louis knew that at heart the man was one of the most decent, honorable, and trustworthy men of his acquaintance.

"You can move in for a while if you like." Teddy finally said as he got to his feet, walking the short distance so that he could hold out his hand for Louis to shake. "Pay what you think is reasonable, or you can just pay for the groceries since you'll be doing the cooking to help earn your keep. Do you need help moving your stuff in?"

Ignoring the hand Louis pulled the other man into a big hug, as always loving the scent that was uniquely Teddy. Lips curling into a grin when the man in question lightly hugged him back since Teddy wasn't the affectionate type Louis gave him an extra squeeze before letting go. "Thanks, Teddy."

"You're welcome."

)

Twenty minutes later, after hammering out the details, Teddy saw the blonde out, waving good bye and watching until the other man was out of sight before closing the door. And then, still facing the door, Teddy began rhythmically beating his head against the solid wood surface, calling himself every kind of idiot for agreeing to let the younger man come live with him. Was he out of his bloody mind, Teddy wondered as he ignored the pain of his actions. Was he suffering from food poisoning? No, not food poisoning, he'd barely eaten anything today, Teddy reminded himself as he forced himself to stop what he was doing before he gave himself a concussion.

But seriously, what had he been thinking, Teddy silently ranted to himself as he walked towards his kitchen, thinking that he should probably eat something now that he thought about it. Maybe lack of food was the problem.

Not that he could go back on his word now. His word was his bond. He was stuck now.

Dammit.

Putting together a sandwich Teddy forced himself to begin a mental list of all the things he'd have to take care of before Louis came to take up residence. He'd have to get another set of keys made up, plus he'd have to figure out where he was going to put the other man.

As far away from his bedroom as possible would be best.

Normally he avoided alcohol as he preferred to always be in control of himself but given the present circumstances it seemed called for. So once his sandwich was done Teddy poured himself a glass of wine to go with his sandwich and brought the bottle with him, just in case.

The man wasn't even living with him yet and already he was being driven to drink, Teddy thought as he toasted his stupidity before taking a healthy gulp from his glass.

Damn his inability to tell Louis Weasley no. It had always been an adventure babysitting the boy, he'd been a sucker for those baby blues even then. Back then being somewhat wrapped around Louis's finger hadn't been such a bad thing, it was only later when he'd stopped being a boy and had become a man that his love for the blonde had taken a turn that…was very inconvenient to say the least.

He'd hidden those feelings from everyone for so long by allowing the distance to grow between them, for the fact that they were so different from each other settle in both their minds. Not that it helped on his end, but it had done wonders where the other man was concerned. These days they hardly saw each other, and when they did it was usually a short conversation.

That wasn't going to be the case now, at least not for a month.

Yay.

Marveling over his stupidity Teddy finished up his sandwich, put away the wine without helping himself to more, and after cleaning up headed upstairs, deciding that he'd deal with all the details in the morning. It went against his nature, but he couldn't work up the energy to care or make himself deal with the mess he'd gotten himself into. He'd just work from home tomorrow so that he could get everything taken care of, it was a Saturday after all.

Heading straight for his bedroom to change out of his suit Teddy removed each article with care, setting the pieces of his suit aside to go with the rest of his dry cleaning.

That taken care of Teddy started towards his bed, then stopped and changed direction.

Standing in front of his mirror in his simple black boxers Teddy studied himself critically, not because he was vain, but because he believed in staying in shape. Nothing about him was allowed to be weak.

The man in the mirror was tall and leanly built, a runner's build as that was his preferred form of exercise. His short, neatly cut hair was the dark brown that was almost black, his eyes dark blue. As a Metamorphmagus like his mother he could have manipulated his body and face to look however he wanted, but he could have cared less about that. This was his true face and form, a combination of both sides of his family. He wanted always to look into a mirror and see those similarities, those physical ties to them.

And knowing why he was having this small moment of irrational vanity Teddy sighed, shook his head at himself, and then headed back towards his perfectly made bed. Sliding under the covers he settled himself in, and then reached for the book on his nightstand. He wasn't particularly interested in it, and he was well aware of the paperwork currently sitting in his home office, but his grandmother had recommended it and given him her copy to read. He would be seeing her on Sunday for their habitual dinner together and she'd ask what he'd thought of it, no question.

Which meant he would be spending the rest of the evening reading the work of fiction instead of doing something useful because it was for his grandmother and he would do anything for her.

And at the very least it would hopefully take his mind off other things.

)

Arriving at his childhood home Louis all but bounced and skipped onto his front porch where his parents were sitting, enjoying the night and likely waiting up for him. He'd only told them that he'd be looking into finding a place to stay, not who he intended to talk to. They probably would have told him not to bother Teddy, but something in his gut had talked him into it. "I have a place to stay." He announced as he took a seat beside his maman on the porch swing.

"That was fast." There was no surprise in his father voice, he knew that Louis knew too many people to have a hard time finding someone to stay with. And he understood why Louis didn't want to stay with them, even if his wife didn't.

"Teddy is going to let me stay at his place."

"Teddy?" Louis's mother repeated. "Our Teddy? At Grimmauld Place?"

"Yup. He said I can move in tomorrow. I stopped at Fritz's place on the way here and told him when I'd be by to get all my stuff. It shouldn't take too long to transfer my stuff over and Teddy said he'd be home to let me in and stuff. He even offered to come and help me get everything, but I figure I can mange." And since he knew his mother well Louis threw out a little tidbit to distract her from the fact that she wanted him to stay with them until he found somewhere permanent again. "He looks like he's lost weight again, but I'll get him fattened up in no time."

"That boy, he needs a woman to take care of him." Shaking her head Fleur Weasley immediately launched into a spiel about how they really needed to find a good woman to set Teddy up with, no matter how resistant he was to the idea. After his twenty third birthday the stubborn man had dug his feet in and had refused to let anyone set him up on any more blind dates. He'd been tricked into a few since then, but he'd always made his ire known afterwards.

"Well I'll work on finding someone for him while I'm there too." Louis promised her. He had plenty of female friends, though when he thought about it none of them struck him as Teddy's type. Then again he didn't really know what Teddy's type was. The man hadn't brought a date to a family gathering in so long he couldn't remember the last time.

Bill watched and listened as the two discuss who amongst his son's legion of female friends might suit Teddy, not adding anything to the conversation as he wondered just how so many people could be oblivious to the fact that the man under discussion currently had no interest in dating or marriage.

But he knew better than to try and stop the two blondes plotting beside him, and so he simply sent up a pray on Teddy's behalf that Louis didn't drive the man completely insane before the month was over.


	2. Moving In

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in.

Okay, sorry about the name mix up, I was watching 'Swiss Family Robinson' while I was writing the first chapter, hence the ex boyfriend's name screw up. I settled on Fritz for a name in honor lol.

Moving In

The next day Louis was all packed and ready to go in no time, gathering up his stuff while deliberately ignoring his ex, who was obviously keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't pack anything that wasn't his. Normally that would have pissed him off, but Louis figured he deserved it for being dumb enough to sleep with the guy in the first place. Which was why he was swearing off men, Louis reminded himself sternly, particular those who drew him in because they were built and good at snogging his brains out.

Teddy didn't think he could handle being single, but he was determined to prove the other man wrong.

"So who are you going to live with again?" Fritz asked, still annoyed as hell that the blonde had dumped him for his job. He was going to be even more pissed if whoever Louis was going to live with wasn't family and was male.

"You don't know him. He's family of the honorary sort. He's a year older than Victoire. Scorpius Malfoy and Teddy are second cousins."

He definitely didn't like the affection in the man's voice, and Scorpius Malfoy was sorta hot, which wasn't a good sign either. "Is this Teddy guy good looking?"

"He's a Metamorphmagus, he can be as good looking as he wants to be." And knowing the way Fritz's mind worked Louis gave the other man a dark, 'don't even think about it' look. "He's straight, Fritz, and even if he wasn't he still wouldn't go for you. Teddy's picky about who he hangs out with. He probably wouldn't have much to do with me if we weren't practically family as it is. He likes his peace and quiet."

"So you've never thought of doing him?"

Louis gaped at the other man. "He's family!" Though now that the man was making him think about it…dammit, he hadn't needed any more reasons to want to regret ever hooking up with the guy. Not that Teddy would look bad naked, he'd seen the guy without a shirt on after all and the man was decently ripped, but still…it screwed with his head to see Teddy as a man instead of just Teddy.

So he wasn't going to think about it. "Feel free to starve without me. Bye."

He slammed the door behind him with everything he had. He wouldn't be back.

Walking into the elevator Louis punched for the floor level, absently fiddling with the two bags he had slung across his chest, one on either shoulder. He'd shrunk down his stuff so that they'd fit into the bags and he was eager to get to Teddy's so that he could get out his kitchen stuff. If any of his cooking tools somehow got wrecked or even scratched on the way to his new residence he was coming back to take it out on Fritz's good for nothing hide.

Swearing off men was one of the best ideas he'd had recently.

Louis was still patting himself on the back for that when he arrived at his new place of residency, not having to wait long at all before the door opened and there was Teddy, dressed in what the man probably considered casual clothing now that he was all grown up.

And thanks to stupid Fritz it was occurring to him that it made no sense for Teddy not to be dating someone. Even without using his abilities to make himself more appealing the older man was pretty damn hot now that he thought about it. The simply black shirt hugged the man's chest and arms to an appealing degree, and the tailored trousers also showed off the elegant body well. The man wasn't gorgeous or even handsome in the traditional sense, but there was something innately sexy and alluring about him when you viewed him objectively. Tall, dark, and mysterious certainly applied anyway, Louis thought ruefully, though he intended to reconnect with his friend now that he'd realized just how much they'd grown apart in the past few years.

"Hey."

Teddy smiled back. "Welcome. Is that everything?"

"Yup. I travel light. And I always seem to end up living in some place where furniture is already provided."

"That would be convenient in this case." Teddy agreed, though personally he would hate living somewhere without his own things around him. Things he'd picked out that suited him and not someone else's taste. But then he was nowhere near as adaptable as Louis was.

Stepping to the side Teddy motioned Louis inside, closing the door behind him once that was done. Not surprised when his offer to take a bag was politely declined he didn't push, instead heading for the kitchen since he figured that Louis would consider that his top priority. The blonde wasn't near the diva his sisters were, but he'd heard the man was seriously scary when it came to his kitchen equipment.

Following the man and realizing where they were headed Louis grinned. "How did you know I'd want to put my kitchen stuff away first?"

"I know you."

Apparently that was true. "I don't know you as well as you know me, do I?"

Deliberately not looking back Teddy reached for the door knob leading into the kitchen. "That's only natural; I've known you your whole life. By the time you were old enough to remember our encounters clearly I was nearly an adult."

That was true. And sorta weird. Though why it was weird Louis couldn't quite put his finger on, even as he mulled it over. "Well anyway, you don't have to stick around if you have stuff to do. This is going to take a while and FYI I'm going to be moving stuff around to suit me in here. Anything in here you don't want me moving?" The blonde's voice indicated plainly that it would be a major sacrifice on his part to let the other man have any say in this.

Teddy's lips couldn't help but twitch before he schooled his face back into its former, mildly interested lines. "Rearrange to your heart's content. Do you have a date book?"

Blinking in surprise Louis didn't see what one had to do with the other but played along. "No. I'm pretty good at remembering dates and stuff so I don't bother, why?"

"I'll show you when you're done in here."

)

So Louis spent over an hour rearranging Teddy's kitchen to suit him, totally approving of the clean space while shaking his head over what he found in those immaculately kept storage areas. The man had the very bare essentials and the food ran towards sandwich fixings, soups, and a freezer stocked full of food various members of their family had unloaded on the man and which, judging from the dates, he rarely remembered to eat. He knew the man wasn't hopeless in the kitchen, he'd eaten meals Teddy had prepared when he was a kid after all, so the most likely answer was that the other man just wasn't willing to spend the time to put together a proper meal.

Food had never been a major priority for the man.

And by the time he'd thoroughly explored the space to make sure he hadn't missed anything Louis was convinced that the man must take vitamins by the handful to be in as good a shape as he was considering his apparent diet deficiencies.

He was definitely going to be in a lot better shape once he was through with him, the blonde silently added to himself determinedly as he went in search of Teddy to find out what room he was in and why he'd asked him about datebooks before he'd gone off to work on something in his office.

Finding the older man hard at work, no surprise, Louis walked in and taking advantage of how absorbed Teddy was in whatever he was working on snuck into the room and coming around the desk wrapped his arms around the man as he set his chin on top of the man's head. "Hi again."

"Done in the kitchen?" Teddy asked in a voice that indicated he'd been aware of the blonde the whole time and had simply been humoring him.

Louis took a moment to pout over that before confirming that he had indeed finished up in the kitchen and would be going shopping in the morning to buy numerous things that should be in their kitchen to eat but weren't.

Not surprised at the censor in Louis's voice Teddy didn't try and justify the fact that he didn't use his kitchen for much more than storing easy to fix meals that he ate when he remembered to eat at all. Unlike most men food was not a priority for him and he imagined his personal assistant would be adding Louis to her prayers when she found out that his temporary houseguest would be seeing to it that he ate regularly. The woman was convinced it was only a matter of time before he keeled over at her feet.

"I'll give you some money for that."

"I can pay for groceries, Teddy." He'd figured this would be a matter of contention. "You can pay for the next grocery run."

Yes, he'd figured the blonde would insist on doing precisely that. "If you insist."

"I do. Now why were you asking if I had a date book earlier?"

Reaching across his desk Teddy retrieved the date book he'd bought that morning, just in case. It was purple, Louis's favorite color. "You have one now. I've magically altered it so that anything you write in it will appear in my date book and vice versa. That way we'll both know when the other is going to be here or not. I can use it to give you a heads up if something comes up that prevents me from coming home as planned and you can use it to let me know if you need me to pick up anything on the way home or if you aren't coming back here because you're sleeping elsewhere."

Taking the book and approving the color Louis ruffled Teddy's hair. "I already told you I was swearing off men. But thanks, I'll use it."

It would be nice to believe he would be able to go the full month without stumbling upon some unknown man making out with Louis or more, but Teddy was a realist. He just wasn't that lucky. But he wouldn't argue about it, he'd just say he'd told him so when it happened. That would at least alleviate the misery it would cause him a little.

For about a second.

And on that happy note Teddy pointed out to Louis that he couldn't show him where he would be sleeping until he moved back so that he could get out of his seat. Once the younger man was indeed out of the way Teddy got to his feet and with the blonde at his side headed out of his office.

He'd decided to put the blonde in the room across from his own for two reasons. The first was that Louis would think it very odd if he really did put the blonde in a room on the other side of the house, and he'd worked too damn long and hard to have Louis think even for a moment about what motive he might have to so obvious forgo sharing close quarters with him. The second was that he was seriously decreasing the chances that Louis would bring a man home with him by having their bedrooms within shouting distance.

If Louis had sex with a man other than him under his roof he'd kill the unknown son of a bitch.

And wasn't he just so mature and reasonable, Teddy thought with dark humor that didn't show on his face. But oh boy, had he ever been an idiot for agreeing to this in the first place. There were just no words, really. Because he really would want to kill the unknown man who would eventually appear for him to deal with. To his knowledge Louis had never gone more than a couple weeks dateless since the boy had started dating in his mid teens. The younger man wasn't promiscuous, he was…the type to live in the moment, Teddy decided, though even that didn't quite fit. Falling in and out of 'love' with extreme regularity and rarely with hurt feelings was Louis's standard M.O.

You couldn't stay mad at Louis either because you were always too busy being ridiculously grateful that this wonderful person had included you in his life. The man was still friends with most of his exes and that, more than anything, was a good indication of the good core the blonde had under his often shallow seeming exterior.

Or at least that was his opinion. He was biased and knew it.

Sensing that Teddy was deep in thought about something Louis kept quiet, looking around him as he took in the small changes that had occurred since the last time he'd been by. It had actually been a couple years since he'd stepped foot in the place but little had been done to make the place any more welcoming or homey. Teddy wasn't the type to care or bother about that sort of thing, and now that he thought about it Louis figured that what changes he'd noted were the work of their relatives or the house elf Teddy had mentioned came in once a week to give the place a cleaning.

"Teddy, why haven't you hired someone to decorate this place for you if you don't want to do it yourself? Don't you find it a little depressing?" It was like the place had been designed to seem foreboding.

A sentiment he'd heard often from members of their shared family Teddy just shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm not here enough to care what it looks like. And I would never hire a decorator." He'd made that mistake with the penthouse he owned and used when he needed to entertain Muggle clients. Not that the company had done a bad job, but it was, in its way, even more lifeless than his main residence.

Which was rather disturbing when he thought about it. Maybe he should do something about the place when he had some time.

Immediately following that thought was the fact that it wasn't the first time he'd had it. He just never cared long enough to actually do something about it.

"But, Teddy, it's your HOME." Louis pointed out, interrupting Teddy's thoughts.

Perhaps it was for the moment, Teddy thought as he attempted to steer the conversation in another direction. After all, they said that home was where your heart was.

And for the moment Louis was under his roof.

)

Lying in his new bed that night Louis tried to settle without much luck. The bed was super comfy and one of the quilts his gran had made for him was covering him so he was snug as a bug in a rug. But he was in a new place and he'd lived with Fritz long enough to have gotten use to having someone sleeping beside him. Though his ex had been a covers hog so it was nice not to have to fight for his fair share, Louis thought with a grin.

Idly wondering what time it was Louis also wondered if Teddy was asleep already or working on something in that office of his. That room had at least looked lived in, unlike so many of the other rooms which was just sad as far as he was concerned. Even if the same could be said about him when it came to his own workplace, the Gryffindor admitted to himself with a wry grin. But he wasn't a workaholic and everything he'd seen in the few hours he'd been living with Teddy had indicated that the man might even be worse than they'd all previously thought.

Ears picking up on the sound of his door being opened Louis automatically closed his eyes to feign sleep, knowing it was Teddy. And when he'd been younger playing at being asleep when the man came to check on him had been instinctual.

That the man was still doing it even though he all grown up was both adorable and cause for eye rolling.

Continuing the charade for the fun of it Louis's lips twitched when he heard the older man mutter under his breath about the fact that he'd left his window open just like he'd expected. He'd always preferred his window open and Teddy had always come in and closed said window when he'd babysat, convinced he'd catch his death of cold otherwise.

Listening to the sound of the window being closed Louis couldn't help but go all gooey inside when Teddy came over to the bed to pull the covers up a little more.

And remembering another childhood tradition they'd had back in the day Louis gave into impulse, even if they were doing things slightly out of order.

Reaching up Louis pulled the startled older man's down, giving Teddy a smacking kiss on the cheek. "Night, night, Teddy bear."

The silence that greeted the action had Louis thinking indignantly that the man had forgotten the bedtime ritual, but then Teddy shifted over and the blonde felt the brief brush of the other man's lips across his own cheek.

"Night, night, Hummingbird." Teddy said in a voice just above a whisper. "Sweet dreams."

"And to you. Love you muchly."

"Love you muchly too."

Letting go of Teddy now that the ritual was completely Louis snuggled back into his bed with a wide grin on his face, listening as the man left the room before closing his eyes with a sound on contentment.


	3. Settling In

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Settling In

Louis was shocked the next morning to find that Teddy had apparently gotten up before him. He was always the first up wherever he was living because unless shagging was on the menu he'd never seen the appeal of lying around in bed when there was far more interesting things he could be doing with his time. Apparently Teddy felt the same, the blonde thought as he left the bathroom, the very nice shower having shown signs of having already been used. Which was a good thing, Louis decided as he stretched his arms above his head, since it would make it easier on him if Teddy was awake to be made to eat a proper breakfast every day. It was the most important meal of the day after all.

Since he didn't have to head into work for a few more hours Louis quickly got dressed in casual clothes, stashed his towel and nightwear in the hamper thoughtfully provided and then headed down the stairs to search out his roommate and landlord. He could only hope for the other man's sake that Teddy wasn't already at his desk, because that was just wrong on a number of levels.

He'd rather not live with a crazy person. Spending his formative years surrounded by females had been bad enough.

But no, the man he was looking for was sitting at the table like a normal person Louis discovered as he walked into the room to find Teddy eating what looked like a sandwich. For breakfast.

Rolling his eyes Louis shook his head ruefully when the other man looked up from the paper to meet his gaze. "Good morning, Teddy."

Forcing himself not to choke as he took in the blonde's freshly scrubbed, just woken up appearance, Teddy carefully swallowed before returning the greeting, hoping the huskiness of his voice would be attributed to still being sleepy instead of the fact that he wanted to sink his teeth into the blonde instead of his breakfast.

"You know sandwiches aren't a breakfast food."

Glancing down at what he was eating Teddy wasn't surprised that the object of his affection didn't view it as a proper way to start the day. Most didn't. "Toast is a breakfast food." He pointed out calmly, holding his sandwich up to prove that the bread was toasted.

Now that he thought about he remembered that Teddy's favorite breakfast food had always been peanut butter on toast. Apparently that hadn't changed, Louis thought as he watched the other man go back to eating his sandwich. In fact, now that he thought about it, peanut butter was the older man's favorite food, oddly enough. It had been the one thing you could put in front of Teddy and have him actually seem to be aware of what he was consuming to fuel his body.

He'd have to keep that in mind.

But for now, there were more important things to deal with and consider. "Not that you have a whole lot in your pantry, but I think between what you had and I brought I could make us some French toast if you're interested."

Trying to remember the last time he'd had that particular treat Teddy couldn't remember. He liked French toast, but he had a feeling that too much domesticity between them too soon would short circuit his brain, especially since it hadn't gotten a lot of downtime recently. So it would probably be better for him if he finished his sandwich and left the blonde to his own devices.

"You don't need to trouble yourself where I'm concerned, I'm good with just this."

Walking over Louis neatly whacked the obviously surprised Gryffindor upside the head. "Stupid. We agreed I'd do the cooking as part of our deal, remember? And if I'm making some for me then I'm making some for you and you're going to eat it because I said so. I refuse to live with a skinny person."

Insult came and went across Teddy's face so fast that the other man almost missed it. "I'm not skinny."

"Hmmm…stand up."

Confused as hell Teddy pushed back his chair and did so, turning to face Louis fully with a questioning look in his eyes as he crossed his arms in a gesture that made it clear that if any more disparaging remarks were made about his body he was not going to be pleased. He wasn't a morning person by nature but by habit. Big difference.

And then he couldn't help but gap in shock when the blonde reached out and…and yanked up his shirt, Louis leaning down to get a good look at his bare chest, poking it with a finger testingly.

"Okay, not quite skinny, but you're borderline, Teddy Bear. And that ends now." Letting the shirt drop Louis couldn't help but grin at the look on the other man's face. "You can sit down again. Read the paper, the toast won't take long. You're eating at least two pieces, FYI."

Pleased with himself Louis headed for the kitchen, completely unaware of the fact that as soon as he was gone Teddy felt the need to once again rhythmically beat his head against a wooden surface as he bemoaned his gross stupidity in allowing the other man to come and live with him.

)

Arriving at his workplace later that morning Louis headed straight for his boss, handing over a piece of paper where he'd written out his new, temporary address for the overly organized man's records. That done he headed into the back to change and then headed to his station to start his prep work, losing himself in the familiar repetition that allowed his mind the option of wandering a little, though not too much given the size and sharpness of the blade he was using. If he were a Muggle Louis didn't even want to think of how many scars would be marring his undeniably lovely skin.

Looking up and over when he sensed another presence Louis smiled in greeting. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing much, you? Find a new place to stay?" Seth asked, giving his friend a questioning look. His date the night before had not gone well so he was hoping for a distraction of the Louis sort. The blonde always had the best stories.

"Yeah, I'm staying with Teddy Lupin, my honorary cousin. James, Al and Lily's godbrother." Louis added, since Teddy had graduated before they'd arrived at Hogwarts. The older man had never met Seth as far as he knew and he had a feeling that Teddy would probably prefer it that way. Seth could be an acquired taste, the Gryffindor thought with a small smile.

"Ah, never had the pleasure, though he looks pretty sexy from a distance. He was involved with your sister for a while, wasn't he? Victoire?"

Laughing, Louis shook his head. "No, that was a complete misunderstanding that grew to epically inaccurate proportions. Tori did have a huge crush on him, and she threw herself at him at the start of her seventh year. James walked in on her snogging him and reported to everyone who would listen that the two were a couple. Teddy tried to clear up the misunderstanding right away but everyone thought he was just being shy or didn't want us all interfering with things. Eventually we had to accept though that she wasn't his type and boy was she ever sore about it. She still gets this feral look in her eye whenever anyone dares to remind her that Teddy was the man who broke her never been rejected record."

"So what is his type?"

"I have no idea. Hopefully I'll figure that out while I'm living with him since I sort of promised my maman that I would try to find someone for him among my truly wonderful and numerous female friends."

Volunteering his help since he did love to match-make, Seth asked when he was going to get the chance to meet one of the last of the infamous Black bloodline.

"Next Saturday if all goes according to plan. I talked him into coming by for dinner. Apparently the last time he came here he wasn't impressed to say the least. I assured him we're under new management and that I wouldn't be working here if the place wasn't good enough to deserve me which he got a chuckle over. I'm gonna wow his socks off here and that will hopefully convince him to at least come home when I'm not working here so that he has a proper dinner."

"Having eaten your stuff plenty I can attest to the fact that he'd be nuts not to eat everything and anything you put in front of him. Or is he a picky eater?"

"Food isn't high on his list of priorities." Louis drawled out with a roll of his eyes. "And since you know just how high it is on my list…well you can imagine how soon it's going to rank right up there for him too whether he likes it or not."

Laughing, Seth had to agree that it would take one hell of a man to resist Louis when the man wanted something.

The two caught up some more and then things kicked into high gear as they prepared for the lunch crowd, both going their separate ways as they dealt with the tasks assigned to them. There wasn't much time to talk with the other members of their crew, or think about anything that didn't have to do with figuring out how to stretch the chicken since apparently someone had failed to order enough or how to stop their pastry chef from killing one of the bus boys who'd gotten in the other man's way.

A typical day in any restaurant.

When his first break finally rolled around Louis took a grateful seat and leaning back in his chair nibbled on his own lunch as he wondered if Teddy had remembered to eat the lunch he'd made for the other man before he'd left for work. It wouldn't surprise him at this point. As soon as breakfast had been over the man had gone straight to his home office and had made it pretty clear that he intended to stay there until it was time for him to head to his grandmother's.

Who would feed him well, which was a small comfort. Teddy so needed a keeper if this weekend was anything to go by, Louis thought with a sigh and shake of his head. The man seemed to live and breathe his work, and if something wasn't done soon he could really see some of the horrible things everyone in the family imagined come to pass.

Because while Teddy probably wasn't likely to keel over dead he was certainly going to make himself sick if he kept this up.

So he'd work on the other man his own way and if that didn't work…well then he'd use Andromeda against him. Everyone knew that the only reason the formidable woman had kept on living after the murders of the rest of her family was Teddy. She'd lived for him so Teddy could and potentially would be emotionally blackmailed into taking care of himself for her sake of nothing else.

It was low, and Teddy would be pissed at him, but he loved the man too much to just stand by and let the poor guy self destruct while under his watch.

Teddy was his Teddy Bear after all.

Grinning Louis wondered if the other man hadn't mentioned coming in to check on him the night before because he'd been too embarrassed. Probably. The man had never liked owning up to his softer side and it was good to see that it was still there even though Teddy never seemed to really enjoy interacting with other human beings unless they were family. The man had always been the type who could get along with just about everyone, but never let any of them get too close to him.

A people person Teddy was not.

But they'd work on that too.

)

Walking up the short path that would take him to his childhood home Teddy knew it was too much to ask that his grandmother wouldn't clue in to the fact that he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night before. Oh he'd taken care of the physical signs of that before Louis had joined him at the breakfast table that morning but he didn't hold any hope that his grandmother would be so easily fooled. Nothing much got by Andromeda Tonks, especially when it came to him. Teddy was willing to bet there wasn't a person alive who knew him better, with his godfather being a fairly close second. So he was going to have to deal with her pointed, unspoken questions, and blaming the book he'd brought back to return to her wouldn't cut it.

She also knew when he was lying. Always had, always would.

That had been extremely inconvenient more than once.

The front door opened as he approached, his grandmother had wards set up all over the place so she always knew when someone was on her property. Smiling at her Teddy took the necessary steps to join her on the front stoop, drawing her into his embrace for a brief but loving hug before letting her go, working up a smile since he was genuinely happy, as always, to see her. "Grandmother."

"Teddy." Reaching up Andromeda cupped his cheek for a moment and then motioned him to come inside, the touch her way of making him aware that she knew something was troubling him but would wait for him to explain as opposed to asking.

Basic small talk followed, the two heading for the front parlor to sit down and catch up a little before it was time to eat.

And knowing better then to draw it out Teddy took a seat and told her his biggest news of the week.

Raising one expressive eyebrow Andromeda stared at her grandson, having no doubt that the man was seriously regretting his decision to let Louis live with him for a while. Of course the youngest of Bill Weasley's family had always been very good at wrapping her grandson around his little finger without any real effort. She'd always considered it a small blessing that the boy had that affect on most people so that no one had looked closely at why someone as strong willed and tough as Teddy would be unable to withstand the blonde's undeniable charisma.

She and her grandson didn't discuss the fact that he was gay or that he'd been in love with Louis Weasley for years. It had taken her years to become comfortable enough in the company of her late husband's Muggle family and friends thanks to her upbringing; accepting her grandson's lifestyle was in the same vein to her way of thinking. Her upbringing indicated that homosexuality was an abomination and those suffering from it were deviants who ought to be locked up or sent to St Mungos to get help before it was too late. When she'd finally figured out that her own grandson was a homosexual she'd silently fought the idea tooth and nail before coming to the conclusion that just as she'd had to learn to accept her love for her husband, she would have to accept Teddy's nature as well. Her peers had been mostly wrong about Muggleborns and they'd been wrong about homosexuals.

Or at least two of them, since Teddy and Louis were the only ones she knew personally.

She had a fully grown grandson who didn't live off her, willingly paid her regular visits, was respected by their community and never forgot her birthday.

How many women could say that about their offspring these days?

As was their way she'd silently let Teddy know that he had her support and he'd let her know without words that he recognized both her support and the fact that she'd rather not know the details.

It worked well for them.

Wanting to hunch his shoulders since he didn't have to be a mind reader to know she thought his decision a foolish one, Teddy hastened to reassure her that he hadn't completely lost his mind when he'd agreed to let the other man stay with him. "He'll probably be gone within the month, I can't imagine he'll have a problem finding a new place to stay that's more to his…liking."

That was true, Andromeda acknowledged with a small nod. And though it had been a while since she'd spoken with her grandson's true love she doubted Louis's basic nature had changed much since then. A social butterfly was Louis, with a good enough heart and a tendency to not always look as deeply into people as he should. The boy had never seen what a gift he would have in Teddy, and probably never would since her grandson was so determined to keep his feelings a secret from the blonde and everyone else too.

Not that she could blame him, who knew better than her the pain that came with having your heart crushed to bits?

She suspected that Harry suspected Teddy's feelings for Louis, but other than the man who'd helped her raise her grandson from an infant Andromeda was pretty sure no one had a clue.

Truth be told, even after all these years, she still couldn't decide whether or not it would be better for her grandson to admit to his feelings, to get it off his chest so to speak. Was the boy really it for her Teddy, or would finally being rejected free her grandson to accept the hand fate had dealt him and move on to at least try to find someone else.

Was he doomed like her, to love once and eternally?

Merlin help him if that were so.


	4. Touching Base

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for continuing to read.

Touching Base

Louis was quite pleased that he'd managed to get up before Teddy even though he was feeling sleepier than normal as a direct result. But if he was going to get proper food into the other man he had to get to the kitchen before his landlord did which meant waking up way too early. But Teddy's health and wellbeing was definitely worth sacrificing a little bit of sleep everyday, the blonde thought as he expertly flipped a pancake into the air. Though he was probably going to have nightmares after he moved out, Louis mused ruefully, imagining Teddy going back to his bad eating habits without him around to supervise. He was going to have to visit the man often to make sure that didn't happen.

Hearing sound behind him Louis turned with a smile, immediately shaking his head when he caught sight of the other man's clothing. Making a sound of displeasure the blonde adjusted the heat and then marched over to where Teddy was watching him with still sleepy interest.

"That tie knot does NOT work with the lines of that suit, Teddy."

The look on the older man's face said he had no idea what Louis was talking about.

Rolling his eyes Louis looked over his hands to make sure they were still clean and then went to work undoing the offending tie, swatting Teddy's hands away when the man tried to take over. Really, he was going to go prematurely grey imagining how the man had lived before he'd come to stay with him. He was getting a migraine just thinking about it.

Retying the tie to his personal preference the blonde nodded in satisfaction as he studied his handiwork. "Much better. Sleep well?"

I dreamed about crawling into bed with you last night and spending the whole night making love to you so yes, it was damn good right up until I woke up, Teddy thought as he nodded his head in silent agreement. And knowing his luck he was going to be dreaming about using the tie he was wearing to tie the blonde to his bed when next he slipped into slumber. That was going to be loads of fun too.

"That's good." And completely unaware of the fact that the older man was currently imagining what he'd look like tied to the man's headboard Louis smiled and headed back over to the oven to finish the preparation of breakfast.

For both their sakes Teddy talked as little as was politely possible during breakfast, thankful that Louis loved to talk and therefore was more than willing to carry on almost the entire conversation with only nods and sounds of agreement required of him.

Now if the other man would just get over his conviction that he was going to shrivel away into nothing without constant care, Teddy mused as he tried not to react to the fact that the blonde was paying close attention to how much he was eating and what he was eating. It was Louis's health that was going to suffer if he didn't start paying more attention to his own food.

Teddy ate until he couldn't eat anymore and then announced he was heading out, the look he directed in Louis's direction making it clear that he wasn't going to be talked into eating another thing.

Smiling sweetly Louis just nodded and then retrieved the lunch he'd made for the man.

Automatically taking the bag from the blonde Teddy couldn't help but smile a little. He was far too old to have someone pack him lunches, but it was…nice. Homey.

Pleased with his victory Louis grinned and then leaned forward, intending to kiss the other man's cheek as he said, "Have a good day, Teddy bear."

Only Teddy instinctively moved in reaction to Louis's closeness and the blonde's lips ended up grazing the corner of the older man's mouth.

Surprised but not upset Louis was about to make a teasing remark when the words died in his throat, something about the other man's eyes killing them before they could be spoken. The awareness in them, well it suggested that Teddy was reacting to the simple sign of affection as a man would react to being kissed by someone. Though the reaction was probably because Teddy didn't get kissed regularly, especially by other men, Louis rationalized, even as awareness entered into his own thoughts. His honorary cousin wasn't the type to encourage displays of affection towards his person and even then most British men didn't go around casually brushing lips with each other. Come to think of it, he might be the only guy he knew who ever did that where Teddy was concerned, though he'd probably been just a kid the last time he'd greeted the older man that way. It was the French in him. Did it make Teddy uncomfortable for a guy to accidentally kiss him? Or almost kiss him in this case? The man was definitely not a homophobe, but he knew plenty of nice straight guys who got a little weirded out about gay guys showing them affection.

"Sorry." Louis said lamely, feeling more than a little uncomfortable now as he took a step back. He couldn't read Teddy's eyes but he couldn't shake the feeling that what he'd done bothered the other man.

"No problem." It wasn't a real kiss, maybe three tenths of the other man's lips had hit his own lips, Teddy told herself sternly, keeping his voice and face as unemotional as possible. "Been a while since you've done that."

He self consciously shrugged his shoulders. "You know how overly affectionate I am."

That he did. Just as he could see that he was making Louis extremely uncomfortable. Obviously the man was taking his reaction the wrong way and was assuming he really didn't like having affection shown to him by him.

Features softening Teddy lifted a hand and ruffled Louis's hair in his own gesture of affection, forcing his fingers not to linger as they brushed through the silky strands he longed to weave his fingers through. "If you were straight the women would love that about you. And have a good day too. I hope work goes well."

"Thanks."

)

After Teddy had left and the dishes done Louis wandered the house, trying to distract himself from what had happened earlier but having no real luck doing so. It was just itching at him like a jumper made of really poor quality wool. But it was just so stupid to obsess over things, things he knew he was blowing out of proportion. Seriously out of proportion. Teddy just wasn't used to living with someone, being shown a lot of affection. The man hadn't lived with his grandmother in years after all and Andromeda Tonks was not affectionate as a rule, much less overly affectionate like him. Of course it would startle Teddy to be suddenly kissed on the cheek. Well…he'd meant to kiss just the cheek anyway.

What was really churning in his gut though was the idea that Teddy might not like his displays of affection. Because he knew the man tolerated the affection heaped on him by the other members of their family, and he wasn't different from them except that he was the only member of said family who was gay. He didn't like to think that Teddy might have a problem with him because he was gay, but the idea was gnawing at him. He'd never gotten the vibe before that Teddy had a problem with his sexual orientation, and the man had serious problems with people who hated people because of their difference. Teddy was the son of a werewolf for Merlin's sake.

Still…

Argh, he was going to make his head explode if he kept this up. He'd just have to ask Teddy straight out at breakfast, Louis decided, nodding his head decisively. It would be too late when he got home to question the other man and he'd probably have better luck getting a straight answer if he asked before coffee had Teddy awake enough to pick and choose his words.

)

Teddy's plan to throw himself into work so he didn't have to think about what had happened after breakfast was working fairly well, though in the back of his mind he knew he was going to have to think about it sooner or later given that he'd acted like an ass. Though it would be more accurate to say he'd come off as an ass because there was no way Louis could have not taken it wrong. He was going to have to come up with a real excuse too because the blonde was likely to confront him at the earliest opportunity. His hummingbird was direct that way. It was one of the things he loved about him.

And he was at work and he really should be concentrating on that.

Not that the business would crumble if he had an off day of course, but the company had been in his family for five generations and that meant something to him. The investment firm had been handed down from father to son right up until the death of his own maternal grandfather. His great grandfather had held things together as best as he could and when his health had demanded that he retire from the business his own grandmother had stepped in to hold the business together for her grandson until he finished his schooling. He'd been ten when that had happened and had already shown a love for numbers and making money, which had led his grandmother to correctly assume that he would enjoy following in his namesake's footsteps and invest people's money for them as a living.

He loved what he did and had made others and himself a hell of a lot of money too.

Especially since he'd opened an office in Diagon Alley two years ago and had started offering witches and wizards the opportunity to invest in Muggle businesses as well.

When the knock came Teddy didn't bother to look up as he called for the head of his Diagon office to enter. He knew who it was, Lucy Weasley was always on time after all. Her punctuality was just one of the reasons that she'd proven herself invaluable over the last couple of years. Finishing what he was doing since he knew she wouldn't mind the older man quickly looked over what he'd typed and then sent off the email, not doubting for a moment that he'd be getting a reply within the hour. They were going to be very, very unhappy with him, Teddy thought with a satisfied smiled as he minimized the window before turning his attention to the redhead watching him patiently.

"Sorry about that."

"No problem. Not like I haven't done the same to you." Lucy pointed out with a small, knowing smile. "Besides, you're my boss. You're supposed to ignore me unless I'm being useful."

"You're family, and never useless." Teddy told her with a hint of affection in his eyes. Of all his honorary relatives Lucy was one of his favorites, and not just because she was so good at helping him make money. They were very similar in a lot of ways and he'd thought more than once that if he'd been straight he would have been quite happy if fate had decided to sway his heart in her direction.

But fate had decreed otherwise and so they were good friends, honorary family, and worked well together instead.

"So I heard that Louis is living with you. I have to admit I was surprised when Mum told me." Unlike the vast majority of their shared family Lucy was aware of Teddy's feelings for her cousin, choosing not to make her knowledge known since she didn't want her friend to become self conscious, wondering what was giving him away so that he ended up giving himself away even more. Plus there was the chance that he'd withdraw further from her family and she definitely didn't want that to happen. As far as she was concerned he was as much a part of her family as she was and she'd take down anyone who suggested otherwise.

He wasn't surprised that she'd heard already, news tended to travel fast in their family. And Lucy's older sister Molly was the biggest gossipmonger in the family. Molly rarely stopped talking and she was the most opinionated woman he'd ever come across which was really, really saying something. Hence the fact that Lucy was normally quiet but more than capable of overriding anyone who might try to talk over her when she did have something to say.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Lucy laughed. "He's driving you up the wall already?"

"Let's just say that he's just a little obsessed with fattening me up at the moment. According to him I'm too skinny."

Lips twitching in amusement at the faint hint of insult in the man's words Lucy wisely didn't state that she thought regular meals would do Teddy some good. They were both bad when it came to proper nutrition, she admitted, the redhead wincing a little as she tried to recall the last time she'd eaten something Louis would approve of. It took some doing. Maybe her mother had a point that she needed to eat more too.

"What's the wince for?" Teddy wanted to know.

"I'm thinking maybe people are right and you and I need to eat more."

"Not you too. Everyone's turning on me." Shaking his head Teddy was sure he didn't need to gain any weight, though now that he was thinking about it he supposed Lucy could do with some substantial meals. She was a little on the thin side, Teddy decided with brotherly concern. "But since you think so, do you have plans for dinner on Saturday? I promised him I'd come by the restaurant he's working at for a meal and if you're there he can embarrass both of us instead of just me with his fussing. My treat, of course."

"Well when you put it that way, how could I possibly refuse?"

"Excellent. Now shall we get to work?"

"Let's."

)

He knew he should just wait until morning, he wasn't an idiot after all. But as he lay in bed looking up at his ceiling Louis knew there was no way in hell he was going to get any sleep until he'd talked things over with Teddy. And he needed his beauty sleep, dammit. It was almost two in the friggin morning already and he'd agreed to come into work early. But it would be wrong of him to wake Teddy up and if he recalled correctly the older man was an extremely deep sleeper. Double dammit. He was so screwed, Louis thought as he punched the side of his pillow in annoyance.

Mentally fuming with the situation at hand Louis remained in bed for another five minutes before throwing aside his covers, sliding out of bed with a determined gleam in his eyes. It was really early and odds were that Teddy would be asleep, but he was going to check, just in case. The man was a huge workaholic after all and he wouldn't put it past him to still be awake and working in bed.

Normally that wouldn't be a good thing but Louis couldn't help but hope that would be the case.

Heading into the hallway the blonde noted that there was light coming from under Teddy's door, the sight urging him forward as he moved to knock on the door, entering when he heard the other man give permission.

Running a hand through his no doubt messy hair Teddy watched the other man come into his room, wishing rather desperately that he'd decided to finish up the paperwork at his desk instead of bringing it to bed with him so that if he fell asleep it would be somewhere comfortable. He should have known the blonde wouldn't be able to wait until morning to talk to him.

"Something on your mind?" He asked as smoothly as he could, hoping he was wrong about Louis's reason for coming to see him, knowing that he wasn't. After all, it wasn't like the man had any interest in joining him in bed for something pleasurable, unfortunately.

Walking over to the bed Louis took advantage of the fact that Teddy was lying in the middle of the bed, opting to sit cross legged on the covers so that he was facing the other man. "I have a question and obviously it couldn't wait until morning."

"You've never been patient except when it came to cooking."

"Exactly." Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his chin between his hands, Louis gave Teddy a strong, searching look. "I want to know if you have a problem with me being affectionate towards you because I'm gay. If you do I'll try to tone that down, promise."

Teddy immediately shook his head. "I don't have a problem with you being gay, Louis. I never have." It had made him really happy at first, hoping that maybe that meant that Louis would someday give him a chance. "I'm just not used to having affection showered on me the way you do, especially early in the morning. You know how I am."

"You swear?"

Reaching out Teddy wrapped his fingers around Louis's left arm, giving it a light squeeze as he returned the strong stare. "On my word. I love you, and there's nothing about who you are that I'd change. You're perfect, quirks and all, and you're one of my favorite people in the world."

Face lighting up with delight Louis scrambled forward and threw his arms around the other man's neck, hugging him tight as he made a sound of pleasure and contentment when Teddy's arms came around him to hug in return.

"I love you, Teddy bear. You're perfect too."

If only you thought I was perfect for you, Teddy thought as he closed his eyes to hide his thoughts.

If only.


	5. Getting Older and Wiser

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for continuing to read.

Getting Older and Wiser

Despite the fact that he tended to go through men fairly regularly Louis wasn't at all used to waking up to the realization that not only was there someone sleeping beside him, but he had no idea who that someone was. His first fully formed thought was that Teddy was so going to be pissed off at him for not messaging him that he wouldn't be coming home, his second thought the realization that it was Teddy sleeping beside him. That it was Teddy's presence his senses had alerted him to before his mind had sufficiently cleared enough for him to recognize the scent of Teddy on the pillow and sheets, the familiarity he had with the chest his right arm was currently stretched out over.

Fighting back a yawn Louis studied the other man's profile as other facts began to filter through, first and foremost the fact that he'd climbed into Teddy's bed to talk to him and must have passed out once they had their short heart to heart. He had been really tired, and he'd always been able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat provided there wasn't something bothering him.

Apparently Teddy had decided that it was too much trouble to put him back in his own bed and had decided to share his instead.

Or the man had seen the bed sharing as a way of driving home the fact that he really didn't have a problem with the fact that his housemate was gay. Sharing a bed was way more personal than the almost kiss, at least to his way of thinking.

Since both possibilities made sense and he didn't mind sharing a bed with Teddy since the man wasn't a covers hog, Louis shrugged it off and concentrated on studying the older man's profile.

In general people always looked younger and more peaceful when they were asleep and Teddy was no exception. Though there were still lines that spoke of the man's age, as well as some strands of white mixed in with the brown at Teddy's temples. It didn't surprise him that Teddy hadn't bothered to do anything to eradicate that sign of aging either. Though it was sort of unfair that the older man could literally control what age he looked like but had zero interest in using his ability to manipulate his form to appear as attractive as possible. The man could be drop dead gorgeous if he wanted to, but he'd never seen Teddy deliberately enhance his looks for that purpose unless he was doing so at the request of someone else as a demonstration of his natural talent.

Personally he intended to fight the aging process to his dying breath.

But Teddy was definitely not him, Louis thought affectionately. The older man didn't have a vain bone in his body. Or at least not a very big, noticeable one.

Nuzzling his face against his pillow Louis enjoyed the silent closeness, lifting the hand he'd had on the other man's stomach up to trace Teddy's features with his fingertips, noting the difference time had wrought there. Some changes, though inside his Teddy bear remained the same, he was sure of it. There was something incredibly appealing about the stability, the inner strength the older man radiated. Knowing always that he could be leaned and depended upon no matter what the problem was.

He needed to find himself a man more like that.

Maybe while he was looking for someone for Teddy he should ask the other man to recommend someone to him as well. Or at least ask Teddy to look over his next potential boyfriend so that he could get his opinion before he did something stupid like move in with the guy. Fritz had definitely been a mistake and one he did not want to repeat.

Come to think of it he couldn't remember a single guy he'd ever introduced the man to that Teddy had genuinely seemed to like, Louis belatedly realized, wondering why that was. Was his taste in men really that bad? Or had Teddy just been playing the big brother role and decided that no one was good enough? His own sisters had liked his past boyfriends a lot more than Teddy had, and it wasn't like he and the man had ever had a brotherly relationship. Or at least he'd never seen him in that light. He'd just always been his Teddy bear.

According to his maman he'd been very possessive of Teddy when he was a child.

And who could blame him, Louis thought with a smile as he shifted up to a sitting position, giving the man's already tousled hair a loving stroke before pulling off the covers so that he could head out to start breakfast.

Who wouldn't want Teddy bear for their very own?

)

When it was time to wake up Teddy's brain processed that fact and he opened his eyes, automatically stretching his arms out as he thought that he'd slept really well and wasn't that a nice change of pace. Then it came back to him that Louis had been sleeping beside him and his head whipped over to look so fast it was a wonder he didn't give himself whiplash. The blonde wasn't there, Teddy realized with a mixture of disappointment and relief, but there was a clear indent where Louis's head had rested.

Calling himself a complete and total girl Teddy shifted over and laid his head on the pillow, inhaling the linger scent of the other man's hair like a drug addict. How far he fell when it came to Louis Weasley, the Gryffindor thought ruefully when he forced himself to sit up and act like an adult.

But at least he hadn't done or said anything during the night to get himself in trouble or betray his feelings for the other man.

Of course it probably helped that Louis had passed out within three minutes of asking him to explain what he was working on.

Lips twitching in amusement Teddy's eyes moved over to his bedside table, noting the pages he hadn't finished going over. There wouldn't be any problems but maybe Lucy did have a point about him needing a personal assistant. If he did ever find someone who could at least distract him from his feelings for Louis that unknown man would probably be just as bored as Louis with what he did, if not seriously annoyed to not have his sole attention on him.

Thankfully he was still fine with his self-imposed sexual mortatorium and therefore didn't need to go through the horrors and pitfalls of trying to find a man who he could stand to become a fixture in his life for the length of their relationship.

And he prayed desperately that what had happened with Ian never happened again.

Because if nothing else he was never, ever, going to even consider dating someone he worked with again.

He was also going to have to make damn sure that if Louis was serious about wanting to see where he worked, Ian had no reason to be around his office building. That was all he needed, those two meeting. Louis might have no idea how he felt about him, but the blonde would pick up on how Ian felt about him within seconds. Normally his business associate was as cool and calm as he was, but he got very alpha and possessive when they were in the presence of another gay man.

And while he was pretty sure that Louis wouldn't flirt with someone like Ian, his ex had excellent gaydar.

Thankfully he was fairly certain that he hadn't given anything away that would make Ian suspected that Louis was the reason he had never been interested in making their romantic arrangement a permanent one. His ex had known, right from the beginning, that there was someone his heart already belonged to, but unfortunately Ian had convinced himself that he could change his mind.

The man had not taken it well when he'd made it clear that he couldn't.

Rubbing his hands over his face Teddy forced the thoughts away and got out of bed, taking a deep, fortifying breath before heading towards the bathroom.

Time to start another day of pretending not to be hopelessly in love with the man living across the hall.

Wahoo.

)

Pleased when Seth was put on break at the same time as him Louis was happy to enjoy a meal with his friend, especially since he wanted to know who would be working with them on Saturday when Teddy was coming in. His roomie had told him during breakfast that Lucy was going to be coming with him, so he wanted to make sure that he could provide them both with an incredibly delicious and healthy meal whether they liked it or not. Lucy needed fattening up as much as Teddy. According to Teddy she was getting a bit thin, and if he was worried than he was worried too. It really was a shame the two of them didn't work in the same building, he could have made lunch for her too and then sent it with Teddy to give to her. Though maybe he could start dropping stuff off to her before he came into work, Louis mused, storing that thought away for later thought.

"So your landlord is interested in your cousin?"

"What? No. Of course not. There's no way Lucy and Teddy could ever be a couple."

"Why not? Is she a lesbian?"

Louis shook his head, amusement on his face. "Not as far as I know, but she and Teddy would make a horrible couple."

Seth raised a slight eyebrow at the certainty in the other man's voice. "Uhm…she's known him all her life, they work in the same business, they're both work obsessed introverts with similar lifestyles and values. And they're both single. How could they not be a good couple if they're both interested?"

The Gryffindor couldn't roll his eyes fast enough. "It's because they're so much alike that they'd be a horrible couple. Haven't you ever heard the saying, opposites attract?"

"Yes…and then they attack."

Making a mental note to remember that response to the saying Louis shook his head at his friend. "Maybe if they're complete opposites, yes, but as long as they've got some common ground it can work. And he and Lucy would never work, Seth, because they aren't what each other needs in a partner. Teddy needs someone easy going, fun, someone to take him out of his comfort zone for a while. Definitely someone nurturing too, he needs love and affection heaped on him whether he knows it or not. Oh, and someone with style and pizazz cause seriously, someone has to redecorate his house ASAP."

Seth considered this for a moment and then grinned. "So in other words he won't be dating anyone while you're in his house."

"Huh? Why do you say that?"

"Because if that's what he needs in a partner he's got all that with you. The only thing you won't be providing is the sex, and he could just take care of that himself. Once he gets used to you being there he probably won't ever want you to leave."

Images of Teddy wanking off filled his head against his will, Louis turning his head to glare at Seth. "I hate you for putting those images in my head."

"He look that hot?"

Yes, yes he did. Dammit.

Groaning low in his throat Louis desperately tried to think of something else but couldn't quite seem to make his mind let go of the images flashing through his apparently very perverted and confused brain.

At the sound of his friend's chuckle Louis's dark look intensified. "It's not funny. He's FAMILY!"

"No he's not."

If looks could kill Seth knew he'd be dead. "Chill, Dude. I just meant that biologically he's not your family, so it's okay to get a little hot and bothered thinking about how hot he'd look naked and wanking off."

He hadn't been picturing Teddy naked before…now he so totally was.

"Seth…I really think you should shut up now."

Wisely Seth nodded, though he was really looking forward to meeting Teddy Lupin now.

)

The next day Louis was still trying to get the images Seth had planted in perverted mind as he worked on breakfast, knowing he had to manage it by the time Teddy came down to eat. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to face the other man without saying or looking at him inappropriately. Which was why, first chance he got, he was going to cause both Seth and Fritz to fall terribly ill due to food poisoning. He never would have had these thoughts in this head if his assehole ex hadn't planted the seed and Seth hadn't shoved on the perverted fertilizer. He did not think about the men in his family like this. Okay, on some level he knew that at least a couple of his male cousins, particular James and Fred, could be considered hot, but that was on a purely superficial level that had never caused him to think about them sexually in any real detail.

Like he was now doing where Teddy was concerned.

It had to be because of the distance that had formed between them since his mid-teens, Louis decided as he scrambled the eggs. They'd been growing steadily apart since then, and were only now reconnecting. He wasn't as tight with Teddy as he was with his other male cousins, who he saw on a fairly regular basis. It wasn't that he'd stopped thinking of Teddy as his family, it was just that it wasn't reinforced that he was family the way it was with the other male members of his large clan.

So he just had to remind himself over and over again that not only was Teddy straight and not his type, but the man was so his family and incest was frowned upon in most cultures for a reason.

Though technically they weren't related by blood so incest wasn't the right word.

Stupid brain for pointing that out.

But he was right about the fact that Teddy needed someone more like him as opposed to someone like Lucy. Not that his cousin wasn't an absolutely wonderful person who he loved and adored, because he did, but she and Teddy both needed to look outside their comfortable boxes where romance was concerned.

Though obviously Teddy wasn't looking for a female version of him, otherwise he'd have been interested in Domi, Louis decided, oddly offput by the thought. It went without saying that he agreed that his eldest sister was too high maintenance for Teddy, but he'd always felt that he and his middle sister were pretty similar in personality and temperament. And Teddy had never shown interest in her, though that might have partly been because Victoire would have thrown a fit over that.

Hearing footsteps, though they were oddly staggering as opposed to Teddy's usual confident stride, Louis whirled around and stared in shock as the other man stumbled into the room.

Staggering over towards the sink without so much as glancing in Louis's direction Teddy grabbed a glass from the cabinet and quickly filled it with water, guzzling it down like a parched man. As soon as he'd finished that glass he poured another one, making a grateful sound when that was finished as he leaned against the counter for support, shaking his sweat soaked hair. "I don't know where that bastard finds his energy."

"Uhm…Teddy…what happened?" Why are you not wearing a shirt, covered in sweat, and showing me that I was so, so wrong for ever thinking you were skinny, Louis silently added as he bit down on his lip to keep his tongue in his mouth.

Pulling his long sleeve shirt from where he'd tied it around his waist earlier free, Teddy brought the material around to wipe away the sweat dripping into his eyes. "I decided to go running…ran into a neighbor…the man's old enough to be my father for Merlin's sake. Couldn't keep up." Teddy looked over at Louis with a wry smile. "Getting old sucks."

"But you just said that the other guy was older."

"I know. Which makes it worse. I'm going to start running regularly again, maybe you have a point." Patting his stomach Teddy looked down at it ruefully. "I need to get in better shape."

Not from where he was standing. And just barely managing to hold back a wince at that thought Louis cleared his throat loudly. "Go have a shower, then come down for breakfast."

"Yeah, thanks. It smells good."

Watching the man head back out of the room it was Louis's turn to lean back against the cabinets for a moment, catching his breath before turning his attention back to dishing up the breakfast

"Lust, lust, go away, come back when the guy is gay." The blonde murmured under his breath, thinking that if he didn't get himself under control within the next couple of days he was going to have to break his vow not to get another boyfriend any time soon. He needed to be distracted from this sudden realization that Teddy was a single, hot, prime male who he was living with.

Family and straight, family and straight.

Got to remember that.

And he had to find some way of drilling it into his head that lusting after Teddy was a bad idea. Which it so was. Not only because it would never work, but because he'd so lose his place to live if he started drooling over the other man and made Teddy uncomfortable.

Maybe he should arrange a family dinner here, that would maybe help.

He'd have to talk Teddy into it.


	6. Hot Interactions

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for continuing to read.

Hot Interactions

Louis sat at the table and glared at the totally blank piece of parchment in front of him. So much for his family dinner party idea. After all, it was pretty much doomed from the start if he couldn't even figure out who he was inviting. He couldn't invite everyone, they were legion, especially with all the spouses and kids thrown into the mix. Getting his whole family together was like planning a war, it took a lot of time and prior notice to pull things off successfully. So he couldn't invite everyone, the thought miserably, not if he wanted the majority of them to make it. And they'd feel bad for not being able to come because he hadn't been able to alert then in time, which he didn't want either.

So it made sense to invite just his and Teddy's immediate family to the dinner, but that didn't work either since his brother in law didn't get along with Teddy. Even after all this time Victoire was still touchy where Teddy was concerned and her behavior tended to make her husband uncomfortable, especially since it made it seem like she'd never gotten over being rejected by him.

And he couldn't just invite his parents, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny and Teddy's grandmother; they'd have an odd number of people and that just wouldn't do.

He could invite Lucy to come in as an eighth person, the fact that she worked with Teddy would make up for them not inviting anyone else, but she would know she was there to even out the numbers and that would hurt her feelings.

Crap.

"You look like your head is going to explode." Teddy murmured, setting his hands on the blonde's shoulders, gently kneading them as he looked down at the parchment. "What are you working on?"

Arching into the massage, the man had great hands, Louis focused on drumming his fingers over the paper. "I was thinking it would be nice to have some of the family over for dinner one night, but there's no way to invite just a few without hurting the feelings of others."

Reading between the lines Teddy could see why that would be a problem. Louis might have been one of the main reasons he didn't attend family get togethers as often as he could have in the past, but not having to deal with Victoire was an added bonus. Not that he didn't care for her, he did, but he'd made a massive mistake in both assuming her feelings for him when they were teenagers was just a crush, and by telling her after that kiss on the Hogwarts Express that her kiss had done nothing for him. Back then he'd still held out hope that he could force himself straight and the disappointment that not even a woman with Veela blood could interest him had caused him to blurt out things he should have kept to himself. She said she'd forgiven him for that but every once in a while her claws came out when he said or did something that somehow rubbed her the wrong way.

She had damn sharp claws.

Which was one of the very few good things about the fact that Louis wasn't likely to wake up one day with a terrible, all-consuming lust for his body.

Victoire would kill him in a way he'd rather not speculate about.

And it would not be a quick death, Teddy mused as he looked down at the top of the blonde's head, wondering what it said about him that he'd be willing to risk ending up dead if he got even just a night with the other man beforehand.

Tilting his head back Louis gave Teddy a questioning look. "Whatcha thinking?"

"I think…that before we invite anyone over here for dinner we need to do something about my dining room." Thank Merlin that he was used to thinking on his feet. "I mean you got me thinking about the place and you're right, it does need some serious work when it comes to the decorating. And since you have better taste when it comes to that sort of thing, would you consider taking it on? Or working with someone, I don't want to interfere with your work."

Louis's eyes lit up. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. You can use the money you were going to pay me for rent, and if you need more I'll get it for you." He might regret it later, especially when the other man moved out and he was stuck with a dining room that was sure to reflect Louis's taste, but he'd risk it. The man's decorating skills were probably okay, and the daily reminder of the blonde…well he was a man, he'd suck it up.

Immediately turning his head this was and that Louis studied the room, all but rubbing his hands with glee. He'd always lived at home or in flats where what he could do with a room was severely limited by lease agreements, roommates, or money. "Oh man but this is going to be so brilliant. You so are not going to regret this. And I'll take your taste into consideration, promise. You'll love it when I'm done." And it had to be asked, "What's my limit money wise?"

Chuckling and caught up in the other man's enthusiasm Teddy lowered his head and placed a kiss on the top of the blonde's head. "Go to town."

Cheeks flushing and not exactly sure why, Louis picked up his quill and turned his attention to sketching out the contours of the room so that he could start planning out what he was going to do with it.

And sensing that his gesture had unnerved Louis just a little, and himself too now that he thought about it, Teddy gave the other man's shoulders one last squeeze before heading out to leave the blonde to his decorating plans, deciding to make himself a cup of tea.

Looking up when he sensed that the other man was gone Louis didn't know what to think about the fact that the room suddenly seemed…emptier.

Not a good sign, that.

)

He was making Louis nervous for some reason. So the question was, what exactly had he done to cause that to happen, Teddy pondered as he leaned against his kitchen counter, waiting for his water to finish boiling. It couldn't be his own reaction to the other man because he'd been doing a really good job, if he did say so himself, of treating Louis the way he would treat any member of his honorary family. Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have kissed the blonde on top of his adorable head, but other than that he'd behaved admirably in his own opinion.

But note to self, head kissing was out.

Louis had smelled so good though, Teddy thought with a sigh, recalling the citrusy scent of the blonde's hair. There weren't words for how much he wished he could bury his face in the shiny strands and just wallow in the scents that made up Louis Weasley.

He was getting creepier by the minute. It had to stop. Somehow.

After all, if he kept it up he was so going to give himself away, Teddy forcefully reminded himself, wrapping his arms around himself. His need to touch and be close to the blonde was one of the other reasons he'd forced himself to stay away from the family get togethers he knew the other man was coming to. He knew that he'd never stand a chance with Louis so his stupid feelings for the blonde spurred him to show the man affection when they did meet up if the opportunity presented itself. Which would have been fine if he were the type to be affectionate in public, but he wasn't which meant people noticed when he did behave that way towards someone. And since he was far more inclined to kiss or hug Louis than any other person of his acquaintance…well it was pivotal that he keep his hands and lips to himself as much as possible without making Louis mistaking his behavior for the exact opposite.

Life was always so complicated when you threw a Weasley into it.

Deliberately changing his thoughts to work, he had a busy day ahead of him come morning, Teddy was relatively successful up until the point where the kettle indicated that his water was ready to be poured into his mug.

It occurred to him as he added the hot water to his cup that maybe he should see if Louis wanted some tea too, the mental debate distracting him to the point that Teddy didn't realize he'd over poured until the scalding water sloshed over the rim and onto the hand holding said cup.

Cursing at the painful contact Teddy instinctively jerked the kettle, more hot water hitting his skin as he dropped his mug, which shattered on the floor as he quickly set the kettle down before heading towards the sink, shoving his hand and arm under the tap as he turned on the cold water.

"Teddy? Are you okay?"

Turning his head in the direction of the doorway leading from the kitchen to the dining room Teddy held up his good hand. "Stay there, there's broken pieces of pottery on the floor."

Seeing that Louis also noted the water around the shattered mug and the tea kettle that was no doubt damaging the counter Teddy had set it down on in his haste.

Ignoring the other man's warning to stay where he was Louis deftly made his way around the broken pieces of pottery and the water, retrieving the kettle and putting it back on the stove. That done he carefully made his way over to the older man's side to get a look at the damage. "How badly did you burn yourself?"

"I'm fine. It just stings a little."

"I'll be the judge of that. Let me see." As a chef he knew way more about burns than he wanted to.

Not wanting to remove his limb from where it was, it would hurt like a bitch as soon as it wasn't being cooled down, Teddy worked up a manly, 'this is nothing, Sweetie' smile for the blonde. "It's fine, Louis, really. You can go back to your planning, I'll clean up the mess in a minute." Or two.

"Can the macho bullshit." Was Louis's response to that, the Gryffindor crossing his arms for emphasis. "I'm just as macho as you are and I'm perfectly capable of MAKING you show me your arm. So we can do this the easy way or the hard way, your choice."

If it weren't for the fact that the tussling would probably end up giving him one hell of a hard on he would have been tempted to call the blonde's bluff. And with that undeniable fact whirling around his head Teddy grinched his teeth and withdrew his arm and held it out for display. "Though let the record show that I'm only giving in because you'd hurt yourself trying to make me."

Louis glared at him before lowering his gaze to the red skin that highlighted where the hot water had hit. "Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'm weaker than you are."

"No, but I'm taller, heavier, older, and I've taken lessons in self defense." Teddy resorted, absently mumbling the rest of his opinion under his breath as he tried not to wince over the other man's prodding. "The fact that you might as well have 'Bottom' tattooed on your forehead has nothing to do with it."

"Excuse me? Did you just say what I think you just said?"

"Uhm…no?"

Pulling back his arm Louis lightly punched Teddy in the shoulder. "Watch it, Old Man, or else. And for your information I'm perfectly capable of taking top." He added with a sniff, not about to admit that the man had pegged him correctly. He could take top, but he preferred bottom.

The pain coming back in full force now that the former chill of the water had worn off Teddy had to bite back his resort that the only time the blonde probably took top was to ride his partner. And that thought was both a blessing and a curse because while it was really pleasurable to imagine Louis in that situation, it wasn't him the blonde had been riding which stung as much as his burned skin.

Instinct had Louis looking up, lust pooling in his stomach when his body registered the change in the older man's cobalt blue eyes, which had darkened and shimmered with something hot and possessive.

Logically the man was probably thinking of his own sexual exploits due to their discussion, sex was a great distractor after all, but Louis couldn't help but imagine for a moment that those beautiful, hot eyes were for him and that the really good sex they promised was something he'd get the chance to experience.

Oh man, he was really in trouble if he didn't get his head on straight, Louis reminded himself as he forced himself to break off the eye contact before he did something stupid like make a move. "Put your arm back under the water. I'll clean up the mess and then get you some stuff to put on it so that it doesn't blister up on you."

"It's my mess, I'll clean it up while you get the cream you're convinced I need. I can use my wand to do the actual clean up." Teddy added, retrieving his wand for emphasis.

Recognizing the importance of picking his battles Louis agreed to that and headed back out of the room, thinking to himself that playing doctor was not the way to go about getting over this weird crush he seemed to be developing for the older man.

)

By the time Louis returned with the container of cream Teddy had cleared up the mess he'd made on the floor and was leaning up against the counter with a wet wash cloth wrapped around the burned area, his other hand holding it in place. As soon as he stepped into the room the older man unwrapped the cloth and held out his injured arm for inspection and treatment, Louis reluctantly amused at the faintly put upon aura his landlord was giving off. It was just so Teddy, the blonde thought as he shook his head, uncapping the container.

Pouring a generous amount into his hand Louis carefully applied the cream, apologizing a couple times since he knew he had to be hurting the other man, not that Teddy would admit it. No, the man was apparently determined to be all tough and stoic for the moment.

"What is it with straight guys and pretending that you're not hurt when you obviously are?"

Since he wasn't straight Teddy couldn't speak from experience, but the answer was obvious, at least to him. "People who complain and make a big deal out of an injury usually care more about getting attention than having their injury taken care of. And while a burn is painful crying to you about it wouldn't have changed that in the slightest. If it had been a serious injury I would have seen to it immediately or sought medical attention. I'm not so obsessed with proving my masculinity that I'd permanently damage myself rather than admit to my condition."

Since he wasn't the type to remain remotely quiet when injured Louis's lips curved into a pout at the implications of the other man's opinion on the matter. "It does too feel better to bitch and complain when you're sick or hurt. If nothing else it takes your mind off whatever's wrong with you."

Teddy had to smile a little at the adorableness of Louis's pout. "I remember your insistence that I had to kiss better every bruise or scrape you got when you were younger."

"And I felt better afterwards, which just proves my point."

"You mean you ate up the attention with a spoon." Teddy countered knowingly. "You were as good as Victoire when it came to calling up your crocodile tears."

Making an insulted sound Louis would have put his hands on his hips if it weren't for the fact that he didn't want to get his trousers dirty. "How dare you accuse me of faking those tears. Those were real tears, I'll have you know."

"Right. And I suppose you have a resort in the middle of the desert you want to sell me too?"

"Hmph. See if I help you the next time you injury yourself."

Teddy thought about pointing out that he hadn't asked the other man for help but he didn't see the point in stating the obvious, especially since they both knew that it was completely against Louis's nature not to help someone in need. "Fine. I consider myself warned."

Sighing Louis threw his hands up in defeat, knowing what the other man was thinking without him having to say it. "You know I could never not help you if you were hurt, you smug jerk. Seriously, I'm dreading when I leave here because Merlin only knows what you do and eat when no one is around to take care of you. I'm going to have nightmares about it thanks to you."

He was touched and a little sad at the reminder that Louis would only be with him for a short time. "You do realize that I've been living on my own for over a decade without someone around to babysit me. In fact, most people would argue that you need a caretaker even more than I do."

"Excuse me? I eat really well and properly take care of all injuries I sustain at work and stuff."

"That's not why you need someone to take care of you."

"You need someone to take care of you more than I do!"

Teddy's lip twitched in amusement. "If you say so."

"Don't act like you're humoring me, Teddy Remus Lupin. You need me here to take care of you, admit it!"

Okay…he couldn't really argue with that, now could he?

"I suppose I do."


	7. Come To Dinner

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Thanks for reading.

Come To Dinner

Louis was working on his dining room plans when he heard the sound of someone calling out his name, a smile breaking over his face as he recognized the voice as his Aunt Ginny's. Deserting his plans for the time being the blonde got up and went in search of her, the two meeting up in the main hallway. After exchanging hugs Louis ushered her into the dining room so that he could show her his preliminary plans since she knew Teddy as well as he did. Thus far his landlord had just approved of everything he suggested without giving a solid opinion on anything but the fact that pastels were not to be used.

Carried away by his enthusiastic explanations Ginny smiled and took the seat beside him, opening the tin of cookies she'd brought with her for him and Teddy. While they munched away on the treat she looked over the plans, approving what he had thus far.

"It will be nice for at least three rooms in this place to look actually lived in." Shaking her head Ginny couldn't begin to remember just how many times she'd told Teddy that he needed to do something about turning this monstrosity into a real home.

Especially since it wasn't like her eldest was ever getting married. At least not to a woman.

Looking over at her nephew as the blonde agreed with her Ginny smiled and then turned her attention back to the plans. Unlike the majority of her relatives she thought it was a good thing that Louis had come to live with Teddy temporarily. Not that she disagreed that her nephew would drive Teddy nuts at times, because that was a given, but she was really hoping that maybe Teddy would open up to Louis about the fact that he was gay too and as a result would finally realize that he needed to come out to the rest of the family.

Of course she wasn't alone in thinking he was gay, or at least she was pretty sure she wasn't. She and Harry had decided when Teddy was a teenager that they wouldn't question him about it, but wait until he came to them.

Needless to say they'd never expected him to reach his present age without telling them.

Why Teddy thought he needed to hide his sexuality was beyond them, the only possibility she and Harry had been able to come up with was that Teddy thought that his grandmother wouldn't approve. Personally she thought that Andromeda would be able to handle the truth, but that wasn't her place to decide.

"So you really think he'll like my plans?"

Ginny nodded as she refocused on the conversation. "I do. It's going to be lovely, Louis. You'll do a great job. I'm glad you finally got through his thick skull that he needs to do some redecorating. Here's hoping you'll be a good influence on him." In more ways than one. "So do you have the rest of the day off or working later?"

"Working later. Teddy and Lucy are actually coming to the restaurant tonight, for dinner. It took some doing but I convinced him to give the place a second chance." Louis grimaced. "Apparently he went there once and swore never to go again."

"You'll change his mind, I'm sure. I heard you and the rest of the new team your owner brought in have really changed that place around."

Louis grinned. "You'll have to drop by soon and see for yourself."

"It's a deal."

)

Working away in the back of the restaurant hours later Louis had to force himself not to look at the clock again. He knew that odds were Teddy and Lucy would arrive at any moment, especially since the two were always obsessively punctual. They'd probably come early knowing them, not wanting to keep the other waiting. He was usually punctual too, and if he wasn't he always had a good reason. Life happened after all. Not everyone could have the superhuman ability to manipulate their time the way workaholics like Teddy and Lucy did.

And okay, he was nervous too. He really, really wanted their dinner to be perfect.

He wasn't even sure why it was so important, he hadn't been this nervous when his immediate family had come to their first dinner here, but then Teddy was the type to give his real opinion without humoring him which was good, but potentially harmful for his ego.

"Okay, who is the sexy man out there with your cousin Lucy?" The restaurant's hostess asked as she came over to get the details, interrupting Louis's thoughts. "He actually escorted her to their table and held the chair out for her like a gentleman. Pulled it off as completely natural too. Not to mention he can dress, which I don't need to tell you is a rare find in a not gay man. And if that weren't reason enough to go green with envy, when I flashed him my ladies he didn't even look at them. Talk about a catch."

"You flashed your tits at Teddy?"

"Teddy? Teddy Lupin? My, my, hasn't he just gotten yummier with age. I thought he looked sorta familiar, but I was too busy checking him out from the rear to put two and two together. He's dating your cousin?"

Louis frowned at her. "They are not dating."

"Could have fooled me." She shot back with a smirk. "Cause they're definitely out there giving off couple vibes."

Normally he would have taken her word for it, she had pretty good instincts about this sort of thing, but there was just no way Teddy and Lucy could be romantically involved. They definitely would have told him and even if they hadn't his cousin Molly would have blabbed it to half of London within an hour of finding out. And even if they were secretly involved he would definitely know, he lived with the guy. He would have noticed Lucy coming into or out of Teddy's bedroom, he wasn't blind after all.

Just thinking about the possibility of them becoming a couple turned his stomach.

"Now isn't that interesting." Seth commented, referring both to the woman's observant and Louis's reaction to the news. The blonde really, really didn't like the idea of anyone being romantically involved with this honorary cousin of his.

Louis aimed a dark look in his friend's direction. "Hush. We have amazing dinners to make, remember?"

"For your cousin and her sexy escort." Seth agreed with his most angelic look.

"You're lucky we're shorthanded as it is or I'd lock you in the freezer."

)

It looked as though Louis hadn't been exaggerating about the changes that had been made since the last time he'd had the misfortune to enter these particular premises. From what he'd seen on the tables of others the food was probably going to be edible. And since Louis would insist on overseeing/making a large portion of their meal Teddy figured that he was probably going to eat the majority of whatever he ended up ordering unless Louis went crazy on the portion sizes. Which the blonde tended to do where he was concerned, Teddy thought with a wry smile as he turned his attention to the menu he'd been given.

"So any idea what you're going to get?" Lucy asked as she looked over her own menu. She'd missed lunch and was more than ready to make up for it. The smells coming from the nearby kitchen were definitely whetting her appetite.

"To tell you the truth I don't have that big an appetite. Louis pushes food on me every chance he gets these days. Good food, but my stomach's not used to being filled so much, so often."

Laughing, Lucy couldn't say she was surprised since she'd heard through the office grapevine that Teddy was coming to work with a packed lunch every day. If he weren't the boss he'd have been teased like crazy over it. Teddy was not the paper bag lunch type normally, but love did crazy things to a person.

Spotting the hostess from earlier eyeballing Teddy from behind Lucy grinned that much wider as she shot her friend a knowing look. "You didn't even notice when that hostess leaned over to give you a look at her girls, did you?"

"Enough to know that given how big her girls are, she must have serious back problems."

Lucy was still chuckling over that one when the waiter came over to take their orders.

The food they ordered turned out to be as well prepared and planned as Louis had promised that it would be. Each course was thoroughly enjoyed with Lucy eating a great deal of it as they shared each other's meals so that they could try a variety of things. Louis was going to quiz them about the food later after all. They didn't doubt it for a moment.

And as expected Louis did come out to talk when they were finishing up their desserts, pulling up a chair to see how they'd enjoyed their meal and get their feedback.

Louis wasn't surprised when Lucy had nothing but nice things to say about the meal, she was too sweet to complain unless something had turned out really bad. Teddy's opinion meant way more, especially since the other man gave criticism as well as compliments about all aspects of the meal. He listened closely to everything, flattered that the man accurately guessed which aspects of their meal he'd been directly involved with even though he pouted a little when Teddy informed him that he'd put a little too much garlic in the mashed potatoes.

"It wasn't that bad." Lucy argued, giving Teddy a censoring look.

"Would you have wanted to snog a guy twenty minutes ago?"

The look on Lucy's face answered that question.

Since Louis was still pouting over his opinion Teddy dipped his spoon into the lemon soufflé they'd ordered and instead of bringing it to his lips the Gryffindor leaned forward and neatly inserted the tart treat between the other man's pouty lips.

Making a yummy sound in spite of himself Louis made another small sound of disappointment when Teddy slid the spoon out, the blonde instinctively licking his lips on the off chance that more of the delicious treat could be found there. And since there wasn't Louis went back to pouting, though he added big, shimmering puppy dog eyes to the mix as he looked from the remaining dessert to Teddy.

No one was surprised when he handed his spoon and the soufflé over to the blonde without a word of protest.

And sitting back in her seat as she watched Teddy watch Louis Lucy marveled for what seemed like the millionth time that people were largely obvious to the fact that the former was hopelessly in love with the latter. At the very least Louis should have clued in by now but that was her cousin for you. He tended to see what he wanted to see when it came to his personal life and Teddy being in love with him was problematic in so many ways that the mind boggled.

Not that that stopped her from hoping that someday the blonde would notice and fall in love with Teddy too, but what could she say, she was a hopeless romantic, Lucy thought as she turned her attention back to her own dessert, content to let the two exist in their own little world for the moment.

)

Working away as he read over the files he'd gotten from Lucy before they'd left the restaurant, Teddy looked up at the sound of knocking and sighed since there was only one person who could be knocking at his door this late at night. If Louis was going to make it a habit of coming to see him when he was in bed he was going to be in trouble. A lot of trouble. Especially if the other man came to see him in the morning when he wasn't quite awake and aware enough to watch when he said or did. In fact, now that he thought about it he was probably going to have nightmares about just that when he finally got to sleep.

Yay him.

The sound of another knock reminded Teddy of his visitor, the man calling out for Louis to enter immediately this time.

It took all of Teddy's strength not to groan like a dying man when he saw that the blonde had showered before coming to see him, the freshly scrubbed look giving his already sexy as hell houseguest a mouthwatering edge.

Why me, Teddy silently asked the fates. Why me?

Completely unaware of the effect he was having on the other man Louis walked over to once again take a seat on the bed, a rueful smile on his face. "I'm starting to make a habit of this, aren't I? Sorry, it must be annoying. I promise this time I won't fall asleep on you or take up too much of your time. It's just that I couldn't ask you something earlier because Lucy was with you and I didn't want her to take my reaction the wrong way."

"You're used to having someone at home, waiting for you when you finish work." Teddy pointed out, not wanting to think about the men who'd stayed up in bed, waiting for Louis to come home to them. "So what's the question you want to ask?"

There was something about the other man's tone that irked him, though Louis couldn't quite figure out what that something was. And since he had promised to keep things short he got straight to the question that had been plaguing him since Seth and Kalinda had started teasing him about the possibility of Teddy and his cousin being a couple. "Are you…are you and Lucy going out?"

Teddy's mouth dropped open a little in shock at the question. "Lucy and I? What would make you think that?"

Hugely relieved by the other man's response Louis grinned smugly. He'd been over ninety five percent sure that he was right, but the two had looked pretty cozy when he'd come to see them while they were having dessert, not to mention the fact that they'd shared their food which was such a couple thing to do as Seth had pointed out to him a couple of times. And when he'd pointed out that Teddy had shared his lemon soufflé with him the other man had just grinned knowingly, which had seriously pissed him off too for some reason.

Back to the conversation at hand though. "I said you two weren't dating but Seth and Kalinda said you guys looked like a couple and didn't believe me. Kalinda was the hostess who saw you to your seats and Seth's my friend who works there."

"Ah. Well you can tell them you told them so when you see them next."

"I knew you wouldn't go for someone like her." Pleased with himself Louis turned and stretched out on top of the bed, crossing his arms in front of him as he looked up at Teddy. "Not that we don't love Lucy, cause we do, but you and her would so not make a good couple. And I'm not just saying that because Victoire would have a fit and make you both miserable." He added as a rueful look came into his eyes. "Though that would be an epic battle, wouldn't it? Victoire would win of course, but Lucy would definitely draw some serious blood."

Doing his best not to think about Victoire Teddy turned his attention to appeasing his own curiosity while ignoring the fact that the other man was stretched out on his bed again. "Why would you think she and I would make a bad couple? I've lost track of the number of times someone's suggested Lucy and I would be well suited."

"They obviously don't know you as well as me." Was his smug, I know best response to that. "You need someone like me. Well a female, slightly calmer version of me. Though not Domi. Bad idea." Just the thought of the other man with his sister upset his stomach more than the idea of Teddy with Lucy.

"Yes, I imagine that would send Victoire over the deep end, if I were interested in Dominique. Which I'm thankfully not."

Louis sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, I know. She really needs to calm down where you're concerned. We've all told her that. It's not fair, especially the way she tends to act like a jealous girlfriend even though you two never dated and she's married now. But she just can't seem to help it. The power of first love, huh?"

Teddy nodded with a knowing look in his eyes. "So don't be too hard on her. Having your heart broken, especially as carelessly as I broke hers…well I suppose I deserve at least some of the ire she bears me."

"You didn't know she was really in love with you, you thought it was just a crush like everyone else. If you'd known you would have been a lot kinder when you let her down." And the knowing look in the man's eyes had Louis realizing that he might just have been clued into the reason why Teddy had shown no interest in dating anyone in the past few years. "Did someone break your heart, Teddy? Is that why you don't date anymore?"

"Let's just say that I have some experience when it comes to having my heart damaged. I wouldn't say it's ever been broken to pieces." He'd at least escaped that thus far, though it wouldn't surprise him if that was in his future. After all, someday Louis would give his heart for real to someone to keep.

That was a blow he couldn't see himself coming back whole from.

"Who was it?" Louis wanted to know. "I don't remember the girls you dated that well since I was in Hogwarts at the time. Victoire didn't scare her off, did she?"

"No. And as to who I mean…well I'm afraid that is one matter where your insatiable curiosity is going to remain unappeased."

Automatically Louis's lips curled into a pout, which he seemed to find himself doing a lot around Teddy lately. "How come?"

"Because there are just some things about me I keep to myself. And no amount of pouting and puppy dog eyes on your part is going to change that."


	8. Getting A Clue

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this latest fanfic.

Getting A Clue

Sitting away at her desk Lucy looked up with a smile on her face, motioning for Louis to come on in and take a seat. When he did so, revealing the fact that there were three triple chocolate brownies in the white box he carried, Lucy groaned and reached out for them. "Gimme. I'll kill or maim whoever you want me to do in. I'll even risk my manicure if you want it to be hands on. Now hand them over before I take them." Getting between her and brownies was never a smart thing to do.

Braving her wrath Louis held the box out of her reach. "I come seeking information."

Uh oh. That could be bad. She might actually have to force him to hand them over depending on what he wanted to know. "What sort of information?"

"What's the name of the girl who broke Teddy's heart?"

"No girl has ever managed that. Now gimme."

"Nice try." Louis shot back in a voice that made it clear he wasn't buying it. "I know there was someone, he basically admitted it. I want to know who she is and you'd definitely know, Lucy. Of all of us you're the one closest to him besides our Potter cousins, and you know they won't spill without his permission." The three of them were seriously devoted to their older 'brother' and would keep his secrets to their dying breaths.

It pleased her that Louis thought she and Teddy were so close, but at the moment that wasn't really a good thing. Obviously her boss had refused to tell her cousin anything, and the blonde tended to be like a dog with a bone when it came to this sort of thing. The man did not take kindly to not having his curiosity appeased, Lucy thought with a sigh, seeing those brownies walk out of her office with cousin very shortly.

"Seriously, Louis, there's no need for you to obsess about this. And I can't really tell you anything either, even if I wanted to. Most of it is just what I guessed, anyway. He doesn't talk to people about his problems, you should know that. It drives everyone crazy." She should know, having been pumped for information by a number of family members over the years regarding Teddy and what was going on in his life. The fact that it was her sister who collected information about people, not her, seemed to escape them.

How true. She'd been subtle about it, but Aunt Ginny had definitely been digging for information about how Teddy was doing and what he was up to when she'd visited the day before. Teddy really needed to learn that there was a big difference between sharing your burdens and burdening someone with said burdens. The idiot didn't want to worry or bother people, but that only made it that much worse!

"But you have some idea who it was, you said as much." Louis persisted, not about to give up easily. "You can at least tell me who you think it was."

"For what purpose?" She countered. "You want to play matchmaker? That won't work."

"You underestimate my matchmaking skills, Cous, and I'll only go that route if she's good enough for him, which she probably isn't since she broke his heart. I just want to know his type really, so that I can find someone who's his type to make him happy."

Oh the irony, Lucy thought as she did her best not to smile since he was so serious. "The person…isn't a bad person, not at all. A bit flighty maybe, but good hearted. Teddy just isn't what that person looks for in a romantic interest. Not remotely." She'd met enough of Louis's exes to know that for certain. None of them had been half the man Teddy was in her opinion.

"What does this twit look for in guys then?"

"Gorgeous, immature boys who like to have a good time and don't think about anything but their present."

Opening his mouth to say some nasty things about the girl's horrible taste in men Louis hesitated, belatedly realizing that that summarized his own taste in men pretty closely. How weird was that? Well, it summarized his old taste in men anyway. He had after all decided that he needed to work harder when it came to finding his next boyfriend. And he had an excuse, in that he was still young and wasn't looking to settle down anytime soon. This girl would have to be close to Teddy's age, she should be more mature in her choices, the flighty moron.

Imagining that Louis was thinking all sorts of nasty thoughts about himself in his head Lucy turned her attention to eyeing the brownies once more, debating with herself as to how she could go about convincing him to hand them over for what little information she had given him.

Seeing where her interest lay Louis relented and handed one of the brownies over before picking up the conversation again. "So will you at least give me a clue as to what he looks for in a girl so that I can help him out there?" The sooner Teddy was off the market the sooner he'd get over this annoying crush he was starting to develop for the other man.

Her eyes betraying a mixture of exasperation and affection Lucy shook her head as she swallowed her first bite of the very delicious brownie her cousin had brought her. "Really good brownie but no, sorry, can't help you there. I know you have no reason to believe me when I say this, but this is one hundred percent true in my opinion. You should not try and match him up with someone. He won't thank you, and in fact it would probably seriously piss him off. He got out of a relationship that ended very badly recently and dating any girl is the last thing on his mind." Not that Ian was a girl, though he'd certainly acted like one from what she'd seen.

Though that rather insulted her gender, Lucy decided thoughtfully. Saying he'd acted like a child was better.

"Assuming that the last relationship wasn't with flighty girl, why did the last one end badly?" He'd definitely gotten the sense the night before that Teddy's heartbreak was an old one.

"Because Teddy's heart belongs to his flighty one and the latest ex wanted it. An ultimatum was given and Teddy broke it off." Or at least that's what she thought had happened. It had been pretty obvious that Ian had been in love with Teddy and she knew for a fact, having overheard her honorary cousin once, that Teddy always made it clear to the men he dated that he wasn't looking for long term and didn't have a heart to give them. But Ian had as much stubborn pride as any man in her family and he'd thought he could win Teddy over in the end. She'd never thought the man was right for Teddy, but she'd still felt sorry for him. Watching her boss over the years she'd had a front row seat as to the pain that came with suffering from a one sided love.

Watching her face Louis got the picture. "He's really that hung up on this flighty one, huh?"

"He really is."

)

Walking up his street Teddy was in no hurry to get home despite the long day he'd had. He knew that Louis had had the day off unfortunately and he had no doubt that the other man was waiting to ambush him as soon as he walked through the door. That he'd brought this on himself by giving the blonde just enough to chew on was a pisser too. Rather than do his work like he should have he'd spent far too much time earlier trying to come up with ways to get Louis off the scent without a whole lot of luck. While he could easily just make someone up and thus completely throw Louis off track that didn't sit right with him. He hated to lie. He'd lied more than enough to the people he loved when it came to certain things and it wasn't a trend he wanted to continue. And it wasn't like he was so enamoured with Louis that he couldn't keep his mouth shut where his love life was concerned. He might quite happily give into the other man's whims when it came to everything else, but this was one area where his shields were basically impenetrable to Louis's charms.

Or at least he really, really hoped so.

And really, he was doing Louis a favor on a number of levels by not telling him that he was the one he'd been in love with all these years. After all, the blonde would unquestionably feel horrible about being oblivious all these years and by not telling Louis he was sparing the man that. Louis also probably wouldn't be comfortable living with him if he knew and the other man needed the room he was providing him with for the time being. So really, when you got down to it he was keeping quiet as much for Louis's sake as his own.

Almost, anyway.

But what if Louis enlisted the help of others in his effort to try and uncover his secrets? The last thing he needed was the curious blonde going around to his relatives and friends to try and find out what they knew about the girls he'd dated when he'd still been trying to turn himself straight. Not that any of those girls knew that he'd broken up with them because he hadn't been able to form an attraction to them. And even if one or two suggested it Louis was as likely to assume the girls were just bitter as opposed to knowledgeable of his sexuality. By and large he was still on friendly terms with his exes though, he had to believe that they wouldn't cause him problems if Louis talked to them.

But Weasleys were very, very good at finding trouble wherever they went.

Shit.

Running an agitated hand through his hair Teddy allowed himself one sigh of self-pity and then walked up the short steps that led to his door, letting himself in. Nose immediately picking up on the siren smells coming from his dining room Teddy had to give the man credit for knowing how to bribe even as he forced his shields into place as he braced himself for whatever Louis had planned for him in his quest to get answers.

That dinner consisted of some of his absolutely favorite foods was no surprised, nor was in at all surprising when Louis told him all about the conversation the blonde had had with Lucy earlier in the day. He was just grateful the younger man hadn't gone to Molly for information. Lucy hadn't given the blonde much, though what she had said made him think that maybe his friend knew more about his love life than she'd ever let on. Maybe she and he needed to have a little talk when it could be arranged.

Annoyed that the other man wasn't giving him any more information Louis pointed out that he could just put Molly on the scent. His cousin was scary as hell when she had something to uncover and there was nothing she loved more than juicy gossip. She loved mysteries too, which would only make this that much more appealing to her.

Since all the men he'd ever dated were Muggles with no connection to the Wizarding World except through him Teddy wasn't too worried about Molly being able to uncover the truth, even if she was a bloodhound when it came to sniffing out the truth. He didn't want her looking of course, but he was pretty sure he had his business covered.

And besides that... "Are you admitting that Molly is better than you at something?"

Watching the insult and challenge cross Louis's face Teddy hid his smile of triumph as he took a sip from his water glass.

He'd dodged that curse, at least for the time being.

)

Maybe he should have left it alone, but it just wasn't in Louis Weasley's nature to do so. Which was why he'd gotten up early to make Teddy his favorite breakfast, and was now on his way to wake the other man up to surprise him. Not that he thought he could bribe the information he sought with food alone, but if he really kissed up to the older man for a while he might eventually be able to catch Teddy at a weak moment and then he'd learn all about the other man's 'flighty one'. He was actually a little surprised at how obsessed he was becoming, and if he didn't know better he'd think he was a little jealous of this unknown girl. Well that and he hated her flighty guts for making Teddy miserable for years. And how was he supposed to curse her name if he didn't know what her name was?

Since he knew from past experience that once Teddy was out he was out Louis didn't bother to try knocking on the other man's door when he got there. Sticking his head in the blonde noted the lump under the covers with satisfaction, thinking to himself that it would be pretty funny to tickle the man awake.

He did know all of Teddy's weak spots after all.

Chuckling evilly Louis made as little noise as possible as he headed over to the bed, shuffling across the quilt to reach his target. Teddy was still fast asleep when Louis leaned forward to stroke a finger teasingly up and down the other man's nose, not really surprised when he got no reaction. It would take a heck of a lot more than that to get him up. Ticking turned out to be a no go, either because the guy was just that deep in sleep or Teddy had outgrown his ticklish spots since the last time he'd attacked him that way. And thinking how long it had been since they'd gotten into a tickle fight highlighted once again that they really hadn't spent enough time together in the past few years.

Definitely have to get into one of those once Teddy was awake enough to know what was going on.

Resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to be able to wake the other man up in a fun way Louis started to shake Teddy's shoulders, telling him that it was time to get up for breakfast.

It happened so fast that Louis's shocked yelp barely passed his lips before he found himself flat on his back with Teddy's weight crushing him into the mattress while the other man's lips covered his own.

Louis's gasp of shock quickly turned into a low moan of pleasure as he found himself being thoroughly snogged by a man who definitely knew what he was doing. The possessive lips that moved over his were soft but firm, taking charge with a strength that had Louis melting under the passionate assault without protest. It didn't occur to Louis to try and push the other man away, his fingers digging into the soft cotton of Teddy's T-shirt in a bid to keep the older man right where he was. Willingly opening his mouth when entrance was demanded Louis eagerly returned the deep kisses, tangling his tongue with Teddy's as his body began to move restlessly beneath the man's bigger body. He could feel the impressive morning erection the other man was sporting and his own was growing by the second as the blonde's thoughts turned to other areas of his body he would like Teddy's mouth and tongue applied to.

There was a small voice in his head that reminded Louis that Teddy was fast asleep and didn't really know what he was doing, but the pleasure signals zipping around the blonde's head like hyper active snitches shut that voice down hard.

How far things would have gone before Louis's conscience got the best of him was debatable, but the decision to end the heated exchange of mouths and tongues was interrupted by Teddy's incredibly loud alarm clock, which startled Louis into letting the other man go.

In a practiced move Teddy rolled off the blonde and shuffled over to the other side of the bed, smacking the top of the alarm to shut it up.

Meanwhile, shock at both their behaviors had Louis struggling to get up and off the bed, which ended with him sliding off said bed and onto the floor with another yelp.

Completely unaware of what was going on the barely awake Teddy groggily got out of bed, scratching his head as he rolled his shoulders out of habit. Mind on the really nice dream he'd been having before the damn alarm had woken him up Teddy completely missed Louis's yelp and presence in the room.

It had been so real, Teddy thought absently as he tugged his shirt up and over his head, heading towards the laundry hamper with eyes only half open as he did his best to block out the light coming from his window. Tossing the shirt into the hamper Teddy quickly stepped out of his pajama bottoms and threw them in too before heading towards the connecting door that led to his bathroom.

Sitting half sprawled on the hardwood floor Louis watched as Teddy walked butt naked in front of him, disappearing from view into the bathroom without even once glancing in his direction.

Getting to his feet Louis used the bed for support since his legs weren't quite up to taking his weight at the moment.

The Gryffindor couldn't have said how long he stood there, but in those moments of silent contemplation the blonde came to a decision.

"Forget trying to find someone else for him. He's MINE."


	9. Permission Granted

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Thanks for reading.

Permission Granted

Ordinarily he wasn't the type who was remotely self-conscious about putting himself out there when it came to hitting on a guy who'd caught his fancy, but this was Teddy he was after and Louis knew he had to think before he leapt in this case, even if it was frustrating as hell. And it wasn't just because he figured the older man would need to be eased into thinking of him as a potential love interest, there was also Victoire to deal with and Louis wasn't sure which was going to be the more difficult task ahead of him. Convincing Teddy to give him a chance or convincing Victoire to give him permission to chase after the man in the first place.

Not that the rules about dating the ex of a sib slash friend really applied here since his sister had never technically dated Teddy in the first place, but try telling her that. If he succeeded without informing her of his intentions he'd be dead before he ever got the other man into bed with him.

So he would have to go visit her and talk her into giving him the green light.

The best way to do it was to make her think he didn't have a chance in hell where Teddy was concerned. It went without saying that she'd give him permission if she thought he would just be making a fool of himself. Big sisters liked the idea of their little brothers looking like idiots, it was genetically encoded in them to think so from birth.

It would be smart if he brought someone along as a witness too, so that he would have someone to confirm he'd gained permission when she exploded over the fact that he'd succeeded, Louis mused to himself as he waited for Teddy to join him at the breakfast table. Either way she was going to be pissed at both him and Teddy, but he was worth the trouble in his opinion and he was willing to put up with her anger if he got a chance to have the older man shag his brains out in between shouting matches with Victoire. And really, she needed to get over her obsession with Teddy, it wasn't good for her. This would benefit her too in the long run.

"Do I want to know what you're thinking about so hard?"

A shiver going up his spine at the still a little sleepy drawl to Teddy's voice Louis worked up a casual smile as he watched the other man drop into the seat across from him. "Just mentally planning out my day."

Taking a sip of his tea Teddy smiled over how comfortable he was getting, these meals together becoming the norm, before he turned his attention to the fact that some of Louis's plans no doubt revolved around finding out more about his love life. "So what are you all up to?" He'd be an idiot not to keep tabs whenever possible, just in case.

"Just a couple errands, and I have to drop in on Tori for a few minutes. Anything you want me to pass along while I'm there?"

"Tell her I said hi." Was the best he could come up with.

"Will do."

Turning his attention to his breakfast Teddy shook his head before picking up his fork. Talking to Victoire about him was not a good way to start the day, especially when it came to his previous relationships. Louis was definitely not going to start his day on a high note.

)

As luck would have it Louis arrived at his sister's place to find out that her husband had left for work and Domi had arrived just before him to drop off a scarf she'd recently borrowed. Since he could count on their middle sister not to play favorites and mediate Louis asked her to stick around while he explained to Victoire why he'd dropped by in the first place. Due to her Weasley curiosity Domi was more than happy to stay a little longer, especially since her feminine instincts told her that something was definitely up. That gleam in her baby brother's eyes said it all.

"So what's up, little brother?" Victoire asked once they were settled and comfortable in her kitchen.

"It has to do with the no dating the exes of someone close to you without permission rule."

Domi smirked. "Ah, a wise and sacred rule that has both saved and ended lives throughout the centuries. What about it?"

"There's someone I want to make a pass on but you used to have a thing for him, Tori, so I'm here making sure that you aren't going to go postal on me later. You guys never dated or anything but I figured better safe than sorry."

"If I had a thing for him then of course we dated." Confusion was plain in Victoire's voice, though awareness slowly came into her eyes as her brain forced her to recall that there was indeed one man that had always been out of her reach so to speak. One who'd she'd fallen hard for only to be told she didn't interest him romantically in the slightest. "You…you can't possibly mean Teddy." And seeing that that was exactly who her younger brother was referring to Victoire didn't know whether to laugh or smack him upside the head. "Have you gone mental, little brother? You can't really think he'd ever be interested in dating you, he's as straight as a bloody ruler."

"Then you'll have no problem giving me permission, since I don't stand a chance."

Narrowing her eyes at the smooth delivery of his response Victoire was definitely leaning towards the whacking upside the head now. Of course there really was no question that Teddy would reject any advances Louis might make towards him, but still, the idea pissed her off. It reminded her of the fact that at one point, years before, Teddy had tried to tell her in secret that his rejection of her was because he was pretty sure that he was gay and that that was why he couldn't return her feelings. Yeah, like she'd believed that one. She'd met the girls he'd quite happily dated before and after her, now hadn't she? Had listened to them prattle on about how hot a kisser he was and such until she'd wanted to strangle them with their own poorly styled hair. He'd told her he thought of her as a sister at one point too, but if that was the case he wouldn't have let her snog him the way she had in the first place. No, at the end of the day Teddy was a horrible liar and had always just made it worse with him lame excuses.

If she was honest she knew he felt badly about hurting her, which was only fair, but she just couldn't seem to let it go after all these years. Which was why the idea of giving her brother her permission sort of appealed to her, Victoire silently acknowledged as she tried not to think about how that reflected on her. Louis wasn't the type to take no for an answer, he'd drive Teddy crazy until her brother finally got it through his thick skull that he couldn't charm his way into the older man's trousers. He would definitely make Teddy squirm before that realization occurred.

And it would be pretty damn funny to watch it all play out.

"So is that a yes or a no?" Louis asked, not quite sure how to take her expression.

"Well as you said he was never mine so the rule doesn't even technically apply in this case. But I appreciate that you'd ask and I suppose…if you want to be shot down that much then go for it. You can always blame your age when things go to hell in a hand basket."

"Thanks so much for your vote of confidence, Sister Dearest."

Smirking at her brother it suddenly occurred to Victoire that their mutual sister had been very quiet since Louis had dropped his little bomb. Looking over in Domi's direction she couldn't help but laugh at the frozen in shock expression on her little sister's face. It was a very rare thing indeed, to see her talkative, sassy sister stunned speechless.

"Cat got your tongue, Domi?"

Nodding her head automatically in response to her sister's teasing question Domi prayed like mad that none of her thoughts were showing on her face. But seriously, HOLY FUCKING HOGWARTS!

She had to go see Al and Lily, Domi thought frantically while her siblings debated as to what Louis's chances were of getting a date with Teddy. She had to go see her cousins and tell them that very shortly her brother was going to make a play for their big brother and when that happened…oh shit but Teddy would be on Louis so fast that he'd give the both of them whiplash right before he put their backs out doing things she'd really rather not think about. He'd be banging her baby bro like a hammer on a nail for hours on end for days on end given how many years he'd been eyeing Louis like a wolf scenting delicious, off limits prey. Just thinking about it was traumatizing on so many levels, Domi trying desperately to erase her current mental images without a lot of luck. She couldn't help but think that they might literally screw each other to death given how much pent up lust Teddy had to have brewing in him.

And when Victoire found out….

Paling under her makeup Domi's mind whirled with the nightmare inspiring possibilities. She and the others had joked of course, about what would happen if Victoire ever noticed Teddy's interest in Louis, but now that she actually knew it was going to happen it really, REALLY didn't seem funny anymore.

Everyone in the family who knew how Teddy felt about Louis was going to have to band together to keep her sister from doing some serious damage and even then…it was not going to be pretty.

Damn, and she'd just gotten her nails done too.

)

Teddy was in a foul mood when he headed home that night. In fact, he hadn't wanted to kick someone's ass quite this much in quite a while. His Black blood was certainly bubbling to the surface and letting its thoughts on the matter be known, the Gryffindor thought ruefully, taking a calming breath as he tried to settle himself down. He knew he needed to level out, which was why he'd opted to head back to his place instead of staying at his office to continue looking over the paperwork that proved that one of his employees was stealing from his accounts. Most companies in his present situation would simply fire the guy, not wanting to damage their reputation by admitting that they'd been dumb enough to hire the thief in the first place. And if he'd been the head of a very powerful corporation maybe that would be the road he would have taken too, especially since then he would have had the power to insure that the son of a bitch never got a decently paying job again. But his was a small firm, and he wasn't about to just cut the guy loose so that he could go out and do this to someone else. He was the son and godson of Aurors after all. So he'd have to call in the police tomorrow and it was going to be headache after headache in his future as he saw to it that the bastard was punished to the full extent of the law.

If only the bastard hadn't been a Muggle…oh what he'd do to him if he weren't.

Arriving at his destination Teddy let himself in, heading straight for his office to drop off his briefcase and papers. Normally he'd stay and work on the never ending supply of paperwork there was to do, but he was too pissed off to care. It was a pity Louis was working, he'd have been a welcome distraction right about now, Teddy thought as he headed out and towards the stairs, untying his tie as he walked up the steps.

By the time he reached his floor his tie was hanging loosely off his neck and his dress shirt was unbuttoned, a hot bath planned as a way to relax a little.

Those plans flew out the window along with every other thought in Teddy's head when Louis's door opened as he started down the hallway and the blonde stepped out dressed for a night out on the town. Trying desperately not to think about how sexy the other man was looking at the moment Teddy worked up a weak smile as he raised a hand in greeting. "Hey. I thought you had to work today."

Man but I hope I'm not drooling, Louis thought as he forced his gaze to leave the sexiness of the other man's exposed chest so that he could meet Teddy's gaze. "I was, but the restaurant is going to be closed for the next week. We got hit by a swarm of aduros."

And here he'd thought he'd had a crappy day. "How did they get into the restaurant in the first place?"

"Their eggs were in a produce shipment we got in today. The box was accidentally pushed under a shelf when it was delivered and we didn't notice so it didn't get put away properly. And as you'd expect it gets damn hot in the kitchen when the stoves are all on so the damn eggs hatched and that was that. We were just lucky there weren't more of them or we'd have really been screwed."

The firefly looking creatures, which tended to set fire to things it came into contact with when angry, could cause a lot of damage in a short period of time. Obviously the place would have to be fumigated to insure that there would be no eggs hatching at a later date, hence the closing of the place for a week. "Sounds like your day was as bad as mine."

"Could have been worse. At least they didn't set my clothes on fire." Louis's grin quickly faded as the rest of Teddy's statement sunk in. "You had a really bad day? What happened?"

"Nothing I can't handle, no need to worry." Reaching out with the intention of ruffling the boy's hair Teddy's hand froze just above the styled strands, belatedly remembering that he was cutting back on his affectionate gestures and that getting closer to Louis wasn't the best idea, especially when his emotions were so close to the surface. Quickly he let his hand drop back to his side. "Sorry. I mean you're going out so messing up your hair…" Man but he sounded so lame.

Sorry the man hadn't ruffled his hair, even though it would have messed it up, Louis worked up another smile. "No problem. I'm so gorgeous I can totally pull off any hair style, even a ruffled one."

Chuckling, Teddy inclined his head in agreement. "Absolutely."

A gleam coming into his eyes Louis moved just a little closer. "So you agree that I'm gorgeous?"

"You know you're gorgeous. And no one could convince you otherwise anyway." Was Teddy's dry response, doing his best to keep his voice nonchalant and to the point. The last thing he wanted was to get into a discussion about what he thought about Louis's looks. Once he got started it would probably be pretty damn hard to stop, he thought to himself, his mind already coming up with an alarmingly long list of things he loved about the other man's physical appearance.

"True that. You're looking pretty yummy yourself at the moment by the way."

Mouth dropping open a little in shock Teddy stared at the blonde, his brain unable to compute what had just been said about him by the love of his life. Surely he'd heard wrong!

Laughing in delight Louis reached out to fiddle with the lapels of Teddy's jacket, sliding his hands up to finger the loose tie. "You're half-dressed at the moment, Silly." And because his current goal was to make the man his Louis took it a step further and kneading the shoulders that tensed under his hands. "And it looks like your bad day has put rocks in your muscles. You're seriously tense."

I'm seriously tense because you're touching me, Teddy silently corrected even as he flushed a little as he remembered his state of dress. "I…uh…I was on my way to soak in the tub and…I'm still not used to living with someone again after all this time."

"So what, you made it a habit of wandering around your house half naked before I came?" Louis teased, all but squirming in delight as the flush on the other man's cheekbones darkened.

"Of course not!" Teddy blurted out, horrified over the fact that he could feel color heating his cheeks but being powerless to stop the reaction.

"Heh. You really are adorable when you blush, Teddy Lupin."

Crossing his arms in front of him as he shook his head ruefully, Teddy gave Louis a look that was half annoyed, half exasperated. "You're trying to make me blush on purpose, aren't you? Shame on you, picking on an old man."

Looping his arms around Teddy's neck Louis deliberately moved in closer as he smiled knowingly, moving in for the kill so to speak. "I don't see any old men around here. I see a man in his very yummy prime."

So this is what it feels like to have ever brain cell you possess simultaneously combust, Teddy thought as his last brain cells flickered and then died.

"You are too adorable for words sometimes, Teddy bear. Seriously."


	10. Work and Pleasure

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters get in.

Work and Pleasure

If Teddy had been gay this would be the point where he would have offered to stay behind to wash his back, but he wasn't and Louis knew better than to push the man any further out of his comfort zone for the time being. Though how the older man could be so unused to being flirted with was beyond him. What was wrong with the women and gay men of Teddy's generation, seriously! But their loss was his gain in this instance, and Louis had no intention of losing.

So instead of upping the flirting Louis tugged either end of Teddy's tie playfully. "But enough about our mutual hotness, you said you were headed for the tub right?"

Like a puppet on a string Teddy nodded his head, not a single, legibly thought existing in his still destroyed head.

Picking up on the fact that the other man was still stunned, and wasn't that interesting, Louis walked around Teddy and then gave his fellow Gryffindor a push towards the man's room, herding him in that direction. "You get into that tub and soaking and I'll get you some whiskey to help you relax. You're not in there by the time I get back and I'll help you." He added, just to test the waters.

Braining reviving just enough to process the fact that if he didn't get naked and in the tub shortly Louis would be stripping him, Teddy started moving, Louis's amused chuckling echoing in his ears as he quickly made his way to his room. And since he definitely did not want to deal with the questions that would arise if the blonde were to see him naked or decide to get him naked Teddy wasted no time in discarding his clothes and getting into the tub, making ample used of the bubble bath he'd gotten from Lily as a present long ago since he wanted plenty of froth on the water's surface to hide the reaction his body had whenever Louis got up close and in his personal space. He even got out his wand to hurry up the filling process along.

The Gryffindor sent a pray of thanks that the bubbly froth covered him well enough by the time the other man returned with two glasses of whiskey, Teddy turning off the water since he was bound to get distracted now and overflowing the tub would not be a good thing.

Why there was two glasses was answered when Louis handed over the one glass and then took a seat on the lip of the tub like it was the most normal thing in the world. "So what went wrong today? I might not get the technical stuff but you've always been good at explaining things to me."

Taking a sip from his glass Teddy was surprised at the offer, not at all used to coming home to someone he could discuss a bad day with. Though Louis did ask about his day every evening meal they shared, there usually wasn't much worth mentioning. "Basically someone who works for me has been stealing from the accounts he's in charge of. In order to see him punished and make sure he doesn't do this to someone else I'm going to have to turn him over to the guarda. My clients aren't going to like the publicity, and will likely view the arrest as a sign that their money isn't as safe in my hands as they previously thought. I'm going to take a hit when it comes to my reputation and my finances."

"There's no way to keep what happened quiet?"

"I could just fire him, cover up what he did, but then he wouldn't pay for it, and he'd just move on to his next victims. He had what looked like excellent references, I'm sure he'd see to it that they held up for his next interview unless he's stopped now."

And Teddy would always do the right thing, even when it was the hard thing.

"You're doing the right thing, and if they can't appreciate that then screw them. You'll get better clients, ones with working brains." Louis informed him, saluting him with his own glass for emphasis. "Personally, I'd rather deal with a company with a conscience, then one who shoves their mistakes under the rug and lies to my face about why my money is being handled by someone different."

"Thanks, Hummingbird." And genuinely feeling a little better Teddy shifted forward to tap his glass against Louis's. He knew plenty of people were going to be telling him he'd made the wrong choice shortly, so hearing what he wanted to hear from someone whose opinion mattered to him took some of the sting out of it.

"Anytime."

"So where are you going tonight?" Teddy asked, thinking that he needed to be reminded of how things stood between them since their present situation was just a little too homey and relaxed for his peace of mind. The man was probably going out on a date with some party hardy bloke, Teddy thought bitterly as he turned his now brooding gaze towards the contents of his glass. He hadn't been kidding when he'd said that it was probably beyond Louis to go a month without seeing someone, so it was only to be expected.

The question reminding him that he really was going to be late if he didn't get his perfect ass in gear Louis quickly drained the rest of his glass before answering. "I'm meeting some people I work with to celebrate our paid week off. I should be back before one."

Okay, that wasn't bad at all. Louis would have said something if he were interested in someone he worked with. Maybe he really didn't have to deal with the thought of Louis with someone else on top of the already shitty day.

Fate was finally cutting him a tiny break.

Mood brightened once more Teddy meet Louis's gaze again and wished him a fun evening.

"You too, no stressing." And because he wanted another taste Louis leaned forward and braced a hand on the tiled wall as he faked intending to press a kiss to Teddy's cheek, deliberately moving his hand like he's slipped so that his lips grazed the side of the other man's lips. "Opps. Sorry bout that. Anyways, good night, Teddy bear. Enjoy your bath. See you in a bit if you're still up."

"Night."

Watching the blonde sashay out of the room Teddy waited until he heard the door close behind Louis before groaning low in his throat, deliberately sinking under the bubbles with his glass held out above the water since he was going to need the rest of its contents momentarily.

)

The next day Louis headed for the coat closet to retrieve an umbrella, surprised to find a piece of paper lying under the rack holding up his and Teddy's coats. Crouching down the blonde picked up the piece of paper, turning it over to see what was on it. It was computer paper, he noted, and though he didn't remotely understand what the spreadsheet of numbers was about Louis put two and two together and figured that it must have been with the rest of the papers that had gone flying when Teddy had dropped a file folder that morning, just before the man had headed for work. They must have missed this one.

Studying the piece of paper Louis wondered if it was important as he straightened up to his full height, still trying to make head or tails of the numbers since it was always best to have some working knowledge of what one's boyfriend did for a living.

Logically Teddy would have sent him a message to look for it if he needed it immediately, but what if the man didn't even know it was missing yet?

And besides, it gave him a legitimate reason to drop in on Teddy while he was working.

Pleased at the new change in his day's plans Louis turned and head back up the stairs, his present attire not at all suited for going to visit his future lover's place of business for the first time. He wanted to make a good impression on the people that worked with Teddy after all, since he did intend to be dating their boss before the month was through.

Maybe he'd bring some cookies too, Louis mused to himself as he looked over the contents of his closet, thinking to bribe his way into their good books that much faster. Then Teddy would have to listen to them tell him how great he was constantly, which could only work in his favor.

He loved a good chase, oh yes he did.

)

Working hard to keep a pleasant smile on his face as he saw the men out Teddy was well aware of the fact that though he had talked them into remaining his clients, they had every intention of holding this incident over his head for the foreseeable future. Yay him. He could already see the wheels turning in Ian's head too, the other man just waiting for the right opportunity to make it known that his influence had had a lot to do with their continued business and that he expected to be compensated for his help. It was going to make him feel a little better when that time came, so he could shoot the man down hard, Teddy thought darkly as he kept his face schooled in pleasant lines so as not to betray for a moment just how irked he was to be in his ex's debt. How he was going to fix that he hadn't figured out yet, but he definitely wasn't going to give the man what he obviously expected to get.

They were walking down the hallway leading to his waiting room when a familiar voice caught Teddy's ears, his body jerking in response to it. What was Louis doing here?

Stepping into the room it was obvious that they'd come in in the middle of Louis telling a story to the group of three women who were currently hovering around the blonde as they listened with rapt attention.

"-I ran as fast as I could off the roof, throwing myself into the air expecting to fly just like a bird would. Well of course I didn't and Teddy comes running out of nowhere, just barely managing to reach me in time to save me, though the odd angle he caught me at sent us tumbling down a sand hill. Naturally he wraps me up in his arms and uses his body to protect me as we roll down the hill, and when we reach the bottom he's on his back, gasping for air and trying to get his heart rate under control because I've just scared the hell out of him. Being only four at the time I had no idea how much I'd scared him, I thought what we'd just done was fun as hell and so I'm bouncing up and down on his stomach, demanding that we do it again with Teddy staring as me wordlessly, struggling to breath properly since he had to run all the way up from the shoreline to catch me in the first place. And so, being the impatient sort, what did I do but run up the hill with the intention of climbing the trellis on the side of the building again so that I could throw myself off it so he'd have to catch and roll with me again. Luckily he caught up with me when I was halfway up the trellis and bribed me with extra dessert to never do that to him again."

Louis's grin widened. "Of course I considered that deal to be with Teddy only, and promptly tried to fly again the next day when he wasn't babysitting me. Broke two bones in my arm and scared ten years off my maman's life to hear her tell it."

"Poor baby, you only being four." One of the women cooed, patting Louis's shoulder in sympathy.

"Don't feel sorry for him, he ate up the sympathy showered on him for weeks after that."

"Teddy!" Face brightening Louis seamlessly extracted himself from his female admirers and bounded over to Teddy's side. "Hi, didn't see you there."

"Obviously." And trying hard not to think about how hot the blonde was looking in tailored trousers and a white dress shirt Teddy reached out to lightly tug on the man's short ponytail, immediately dropping his hand away when he remembered that they had an audience. "I'll be with you in a minute, I just have to see these gentlemen out."

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Ian asked sharply, abruptly reminding Teddy of the man's presence.

Shit.

"Gentlemen, this is Louis Weasley, a close friend of my family's. Louis, these are some clients of mine. Matthew Roberts, Ian Hamilton, and Harold McNab." Praying the other two men were eager to get going Teddy made the introduction with his weak smile just barely held in place. He could see that his ex was sizing Louis up, and that was not a good thing because Louis was bound to notice and would therefore answer in kind because that was just the Delacour/Weasley way.

Holding out his hand Louis shook each man's hand in turn and then slipped an arm around Teddy's waist as his gaze settled on the man who obviously had a thing for Teddy and was looking him over as possible competition. And while normally he wasn't terrible territorial, even an idiot would know better than to stray on him, Louis couldn't help but show his claws just a little since he could see he was being dismissed as a possible threat.

So he let his eyes track back to the other man when the introductions were over, his eyes making it clear that he considered Teddy to be his property and any intruders would be cursed on sight. Then he looked up at HIS man with adoration. "Sorry to interrupt you in the middle of work, Teddy. I'll let you all finish up here, I don't want to get in the way."

"Weasley, hmm? Any relationship to Lucy Weasley?" Roberts asked Louis, the oldest of the group and one who definitely didn't want to see his vice president get in a cat fight with the blonde over Ted Lupin. He'd had enough headaches after that break up to last him a long while.

Smiling wider at the mention of his cousin Louis nodded. "Yes, she's my cousin."

"She's very good at her job." Ian spoke before his boss could say anything. "What do you do, if you don't mind me asking? I assume you're a student since you aren't at work."

"Actually Louis is training to become a chef." Teddy interjected, deliberately putting his arm around Louis's waist in a show of protection. 'Go after him and I'll have you bleeding out before you have time to know what's hit you' his eyes promised Ian before he turned his gaze to the other two men, revealing nothing now. "Normally he'd be at work now but the restaurant he works at is undergoing some renovations."

"So what brings you by, Mr. Weasley?" Roberts asked, again trying to steer the conversation in a safe direction.

"Well you see, normally I wouldn't be bothering Teddy at work, but I found a piece of paper in the hall closet earlier that I'm pretty sure goes with the other papers Teddy accidentally dropped near there this morning on his way out. I thought I'd drop it by in case it was important. Samantha has it." He added, referring to the man's secretary, who was also a friend of his cousin Roxy.

"Ah, thank you. I noticed one was missing earlier and was going to drop by the house on my lunch break to get it." A lunch break he'd already missed due to all the fires he'd had to put out with his clients, Teddy thought ruefully. Which reminded him of the fact that he had another reason for wanting to see the three businessmen out so that he could move on to the problem the women still waiting for him presented. Removing his arm from Louis's waist Teddy quietly murmured to the blonde that he'd be right with him in French before turning his attention back to the other men, holding out a hand to Roberts. "Sorry for making you feel you had to come all this way, Matthew. I hope you once again feel confident that your money is in good hands."

"I believe I do." Shaking the hand Roberts watched the man repeat the action with his two subordinates and then subtly ushered them out of the room so that the younger man could deal with his other visitors.

Ian turned his head to briefly meet Teddy's gaze, silently promising that they'd be talking very soon.

Deliberately ignoring the meaning behind the look Teddy turned his attention to his latest arrivals.

But as it turned out Teddy didn't have to worry about the two women his assistant had been taking care of when Louis had come in. Apparently Louis had used his considerable charm to wrap both middle aged women around his little fingers and had convinced him that not only was his Teddy's company the best in England, but that he was a prince of a man who they should adore as much as he did.

Wisely Teddy opted not to ask them just what stories Louis had been telling them, figuring that he probably didn't want to know. At this point he was just grateful that after assuring him of their continued business the women gabbed a little more with Louis and then took their leave so that Louis could visit with him.

"Who did a good job?" Louis all but purred as he returned to his early spot at the older man's side, obviously very pleased with himself.

Chuckling Teddy shook his head in appreciative humor. "You're the man, no question."

That I am, Louis thought as he basked in Teddy's smile. That I am.


	11. A First Date

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this latest fanfic.

A First Date

Since Louis had never been to his office building before Teddy confirmed that he had a half an hour until his next scheduled meeting and then headed back to his domain with Louis who was looking around with a surprising amount of interest. Of course the blonde had never really had cause to be in a place like this, especially one full of Muggles. To his knowledge Louis, his personal assistant and himself were the only ones currently in the building who were actually part of the Wizarding World. Not that there was much to see, but he had to admit that he got a kick out of seeing the blonde in his space.

Putting his hands in his pockets Teddy watched the other man look over his office, smiling as the man picked up the various Muggle type photographs he had on display of his family.

Keeping his voice casual and only faintly interested Louis's eyes were deceptively amused when he looked over at Teddy. "So that Ian guy has a thing for you, doesn't he? Subtly wasn't his strong point."

Actually, the man was usually a fairly contained person except where he was concerned, but Teddy saw no reason to enlighten the blonde to that fact. "He has a romantic interest in me, yes. One I've made it clear I can't return." There, that was essentially the truth without revealing that the interest had been mutual up until Ian had made it clear that he wanted more than he had it in him to give.

"Obviously he didn't get the message." Though in the other man's shoes, which would never happen since the man had been wearing hideous wingtips, Louis knew that he would have been just as persistent and territorial in his pursuit of Teddy. Even more so probably. But apparently no one had ever told this Ian guy that you caught more bees with honey than with vinegar. It probably didn't hurt that Teddy already loved him too, Louis acknowledged, even if it wasn't a romantic sort of love.

"He will eventually." He hoped. "Sorry again for making you come all this way, I know you were looking forward to your days off."

Waving off the apology Louis just smiled. "No worries, I wanted to come see where you worked anyway. It's very impressive, very professional. I feel like I should have worn a suit."

"I think you caused enough of a stir without going the whole nine yards. You wouldn't have been able to convince those women not to fire me if they'd been passed out at your feet."

"True, true." And pleased with the backhanded compliment Louis continued to smile as he inquired as to whether or not the man's assistant was correcting in thinking that Teddy had yet to sit down and eat his lunch.

Hunching his shoulders instinctively, the answer was written all over the man's face even before Teddy admitted that he hadn't gotten around to eating yet.

"Teddy Remus Lupin, and after I slaved over a boiling hot stove to make you that lunch. For shame."

"Uhmm…I thought you said I was having a roast beef sandwich for lunch." Teddy said slowly, brows wrinkling.

"You are. And I slaved over the stove to make the roast in the first place. That it's leftovers doesn't matter. Now sit your fine ass in your chair, get out your lunch, and eat it. I'm not leaving until you do." Louis added, deliberately taking on a mom tone of voice for added emphasis.

Seeing that the man meant business Teddy shook his head ruefully but headed to his desk to retrieve his lunch and do as asked, knowing better than to argue. And once his lunch was spread out before him Teddy sent Louis a questioning look, asking if he wanted any since as he'd told the blonde countless times before, the man gave him way too much food.

"Nope, not happening. Eat it." Louis commanded, giving the other man the eagle eye before shifting the conversation over to a plan he'd formulated while waiting to see Teddy earlier. "If you really want to feed me you can take me out to dinner tonight since I don't have to work and it will be a nice change of pace, not eating my own cooking or the restaurant's." It would be their first date, even if Teddy didn't realize it.

"Sure." It would be a way for him to thank Louis too, for coming by to drop off part of his paperwork. "Where do you want to go?"

"The Leaky Cauldron?"

Teddy's surprise was in his eyes as he finished chewing his bite of sandwich before commenting. "The Leaky Cauldron? You sure? I can afford to take you somewhere nice, you know." Not that there was anything wrong with the pub or its food, but he figured the blonde had earned something better than pub grub.

"For shame, you and I grew up on that food."

"When your father or my godfather were left in charge of providing us with food you mean." Teddy pointed out wryly. Both men were as bad in the kitchen as he was. "And I don't deny I love their food, it's just not as good as say yours."

"Well that goes without saying. So I'll meet you there around...?"

Teddy mentally reviewed his schedule, wincing a little as he juggled things around in his head. "Would seven be all right?"

"I'll be there."

)

It was stupid for this to feel like a first date, Teddy told himself as he held the door open for Louis that night, following the other man into the Leaky Cauldron. For one thing, only a complete and totally idiot would consider this particular eating establishment appropriate for a first date. This was where you went when you'd been going steady for a while and you were secure in your relationship, not when you were just starting out and had yet to impress your worth on your date. Not to mention the fact that there were rooms to rent on the second floor, which girls would automatically take the wrong way and that sort of move could have the contents of your drinking glass over your head pretty damn quickly.

Not that he knew that from past experience, but he'd seen it happen a time or two when a girl figured out why her fellow had thought coming to the Cauldron on a date was a good idea.

The Longbottoms had loads of stories about dates gone wrong here.

So of course this wasn't a first date and he hadn't proposed coming here because of the rooms above. Unless his subconscious was working behind the scenes, which was very possible given how much that little voice in his head was constantly urging him recently to respond to the blonde's playful teasing.

Oh man but he needed a drink, Teddy thought as he joined Louis at a table, ordering a stiff drink as soon as the waitress came over to take their drink orders.

"The rest of your day was that bad?" Louis asked with sympathy as soon as the woman headed off with their orders. They both had been coming here since they were children so neither of them had needed to consult with the menus to know what they wanted.

"It could have been worse." Was the most diplomatic response Teddy could come up with.

"Ouch. Well at least it's over for the day."

Or about to get so much worse, Teddy mentally corrected, ridiculously grateful when their waitress appeared with their drink orders. "So what did you get up to after you left my office?" He asked after a fortifying drink, hoping to maneuver things so that Louis did all the talking and he just had to listen and make appropriate responses.

Always pleased to have an opportunity to talk about himself Louis immediately launched into a detailed synopsis of his day following his visit to Teddy's office, ranting about the highway robbery that was the prices at his favorite food shop and railing against a woman he'd had the misfortune to sit beside when he'd stopped in at a tea shop who'd been incredibly rude.

Listening to Louis describe how the woman had spread her work stuff all over the place, had loudly talked to the person sitting with her, AND hadn't even said thank you when Louis had picked up her keys when they fell out of her pocket, Teddy nodded and agreed with everything the blonde said. It was always easier that way and the woman did sound incredibly annoying and unaware of anyone but herself.

Thank Merlin it hadn't been his grandmother sitting near the woman or she would have let her have it.

Andromeda Tonks didn't suffer someone else's bad manners in silence.

Saying as much to Louis Teddy smiled when Louis laughed in complete agreement, relaxing a little as they started recalling all the incidents they could recall that involved Teddy's grandmother and her interactions with people whose bad behaviors had offended her sensibilities.

The recollections took them well into their starters.

Louis and Teddy had about exhausted that topic of conversation when their table was approached by someone the blonde vaguely recognized, but who Teddy knew well. When the latter made the introductions Louis realized that the girl, Penny Goodwin, had dated Teddy for a few months when the two had been in their sixth year together. Victoire had not been a fan of the girl, and Louis recalled her having a dart board with the girl's mangled picture on it. The pictures of most of Teddy's girlfriends while he'd been at school had ended up on that dart board as he recalled.

Studying the girl more closely as she chattered away about how it had been too long since she'd seen Teddy and how she'd just had to come over and say hello Louis couldn't really see the girl's appeal. She was pretty enough he supposed, but she talked and touched Teddy too much.

He wanted to bat her hand away from Teddy's shoulder so much his fingers itched.

And watching the girl talk to Teddy it didn't take Louis long to clue into the fact that the man's ex was strongly hinted that she'd like for them to start dating again. And at first Louis just assumed that the other man was pretending not to get it to spare the girl's feelings and subtly make his lack of interest known, but the blonde soon had to ditch that hypothesis and instead face the fact that Teddy just really had no idea why the woman had come over to talk to him in the first place.

The man was completely oblivious to his own appeal, Louis marveled, unable to decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing. It meant he'd probably have to work harder to get him, but it also meant that he'd have less competition because Teddy had no idea there were other interested parties.

Maybe he'd been overly harsh in his mental criticisms of that Ian guy too. Maybe you had to be that obvious for Teddy to pick up on your interest.

Finally the woman gave up and slinked off with a disappointed air about her, Louis seeing no reason to enlighten Teddy as to why the man's ex had come over to see him. Why would he? Instead he used his incredible charm to distract the older man from the visit so that she was soon forgotten and the conversation revolved around them and the plans Louis had for their dining room.

By the time dessert arrived they were both relaxed and looking forward to going home and playing a few games of wizarding chess before Teddy put in a couple more hours of work before turning in for the night. That Louis thought the other man worked too hard was once again mentioned, with the blonde using his considerable sway to try and convince Teddy to take a break and just relax for the rest of the night.

The two men were still debating and finishing up their meal when Hannah Longbottom came hurry over towards their table. Both men had been wondering why they hadn't been visited by any members of her family yet, and were glad that she'd come to see them before they'd headed out.

"Good, I caught you." Running a hand through her hair Hannah gave them a frazzled look. "Sorry for not coming sooner, I've been fighting with the books for hours now. I just can't get them to balance." And now the woman's gaze turned towards Teddy. "I hate to bother you, especially since you guys are out together, but the meal is on me if you could just come to the back with me for a few minutes, Teddy, and see if you can figure out what's wrong. I'm about ready to tear my hair out."

"Of course." Teddy turned his head to meet Louis's gaze. "You can head without me if you want, in case this takes a while." He hated for their dinner to end, but Hannah obviously needed him.

"I'll stick around for a bit, finish my dessert." It wouldn't be a date if he left without Teddy after all. "Look for me when you're done."

"I will." And taking what was left of his dessert with him Teddy followed Hannah out of the room and into the back to take a look at the books.

)

Leaning back against the wall as he observed the people around him Louis sensed that he was being watched, his eyes sliding over in the direction the gaze was coming from. Quickly he evaluated the other man, a sense of dread quivering up his spine ever before the middle aged man got up from his seat and started walking towards him with a look on his face that said he thought he was hot shit. Which he so definitely wasn't, Louis thought as he wrinkled his nose in reaction. And the closer the guy got to him the surer Louis became that the guy was a little drunk, but not enough to disable him. Crap. He should have stayed at his table instead of moving off to the side to free it up for the growing crowd in the pub, who were there to enjoy the talents of a local band.

If the guy puked on him he'd break the son of a bitch's face into pieces.

"Hey, there, Sexy."

"I'm too much man for you to handle on your best day. Scram."

Moving in close the man stank of whiskey and horrible cologne. "Playing hard to get, Sweetheart?"

It was at moments like this that Louis really wished looks could maim. "What would be sweet is if you got the hell away from me."

"Now that's not very nice." The man slurred, traces of anger appearing in his voice. "Come over to the bar with me, you can buy me a drink to make it up to me."

So not only was the guy a badly dressed and mannered drunk, but the son of a bitch actually expected him to buy him more booze? Was the prat's teeny, tiny brain that pickled? Oh brother.

Blue eyes narrowing as he cursed the fact that there was a wall preventing him from backing up as the man moved in even closer, Louis's voice promised extreme punishment. "Back off or I'll introduce you to a world of pain you'll never recover from."

"Stuck up Bitch." And before Louis could register what was happening the guy had his fist drawn and was moving in to slug him. It was instinct that had the blonde moving out of the way so that the man's fist slammed into the wall instead of his head.

Bellowing his pain and outrage the man cradled his now broken hand against his chest while he half turned to face Louis, what he would have done next questionable since at that moment Teddy came out of nowhere and the man found himself pressed up against the wall with Teddy's bent arm pressing down on his windpipe to cut off his air, the Gryffindor's other hand braced against his wrist to keep it there.

His eyes black orbs without a hint of white or irises, Teddy stared into his prey's eyes like the predator he was, his voice ice cold and devoid of any sort of compassion or sense of fair play. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely. The only reason you're going to be able to walk out of here under your own steam is because that punch didn't land. If you'd hurt him, you'd have left here on a stretcher, you hear me?"

Since there was no way he could speak, and he was sort of too afraid to try anyway, the drunk rapidly blinked, nodding out of the question too.

"Go near him again, and I'll not only beat the living shit out of you, but I'll do it wearing the face of whoever I feel like. I'm a Metamorphmagus you see, so I can look like anyone I want to. You'll never see me coming, you won't know it's me until my fist is breaking the bones in your fucking face. The old man reading a newspaper, a school girl skipping merrily home, I can be anyone, understand?"

The fact that the man's face was going puce from lack of air was his answer.

Letting go Teddy let the man slide to collapse on the floor, moving back and out of the way.

Turning his head Teddy's eyes shifted back to normal. "You're all right, right?"

Dumbly Louis nodded, thinking that he'd just had a mini orgasm over how hot Teddy had looked, going all badass on the drunk in defense of him.

After looking him over to make sure that that was so Teddy nodded once in satisfaction, holding his hand out to the blonde without thinking. "Let's go home then."

Taking the offered hand Louis smiled and inclined his head in agreement, ignoring the man who was slinking away while Teddy was distracted.

"Yeah. Let's go home."


	12. Providing Fan Service

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Thanks for reading.

I'm going to an anime convention this weekend so yaoi and fan service was on the brain lol

Providing Fan Service

Teddy was mentally kicking himself around London before they'd even exited the Leaky Cauldron, unable to believe how completely he'd overreacted moments before. No, he was perfectly able to believe it, he was after all an idiot where Louis was concerned, the Gryffindor thought darkly, but still, he'd just made a fool of himself and were it not for the firm grip the other man had on his hand he would have very much liked to find a crack to fall through. He'd acted like a bloody Neanderthal back there, he'd be dragging him knuckles and ending every sentence with 'Ugg' any moment now. The only silver lining was that Louis hadn't been embarrassed by his behavior, but the blonde was a drama queen by nature and had likely enjoyed the whole thing.

"So does your body always change like that when you're pissed? It's been so long I can't remember."

Startled out of his thoughts Teddy gave Louis a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Your eyes went completely back, no white or irises, and your muscles grew, I could tell because your shirt got tighter as a result." Which had been too sexy for words, Louis silently added to himself. "Plus you looked a little taller, but that could have been just my imagination."

Wincing Teddy shook his head, having not even realized he'd done that. "I've done that before, but it's usually not on purpose." He never deliberately altered any part of his appearance unless he had a reason to do so. What you saw was what you got with him.

"Well you had plenty of girls swooning over your badass hotness, in case you were wondering."

Since he couldn't care less about that Teddy just shrugged it off. It seemed like his physical reaction had been all that had stuck out for Louis, so maybe he hadn't acted as stupidly as he'd originally thought. Surely he would have more to say on the matter if that were the case. Louis loved to tease after all.

Feeling a little better now Teddy finally started to take notice of where they were, the older man's eyes lingered on a familiar set of steps that led underground. Turning his head to look at Louis Teddy spoke impulsively. "Fancy a spin on the tube? You used to love that when you were little." There was stop near their place, and though it would be quicker and cheaper to just apparate there he rather wanted the night to end on a note that didn't involve a belligerent drunk.

It had been ages since he'd ridden the London tube, and not wanting the night to end just yet Louis enthusiastically agreed with the suggestion, swinging their hands merrily between them as they headed for the stairs.

The swinging hands reminded Teddy of the fact that they were still holding hands, but he made no move to end the contact figuring that Louis would do so when he grew tired of it. Until then he would just enjoy it and the man's company.

Teddy paid their fare since Hannah had refused to let him pay for their meal earlier, the two not having to wait long at all before they could board and take a seat side by side.

His favorite part about riding the tube was the opportunity to observe the Muggles and Louis immediately started doing so, evaluating the fashions, hairstyles and demeanors of their fellow passengers with Delacour glee. Naturally he found many of the Muggles not to his taste, but he knew it wasn't their fault that they couldn't achieve his level of perfection and applauded those who'd at least made some effort to look their best.

Eyeing one person in particular Louis rolled his eyes, taking in the damaged earlobes that indicated that the middle aged man a few seats away from them had participated in that mindless fad that had seen Muggles placing these weird stretchers in their ears to widen the holes. It had been quite the thing for those a generation younger than his own parents, and he was forever thankful that it hadn't caught on in the Wizarding World. Though if it had at least the damage would have been easily repaired while in this man's case he'd probably have to have the holes sewn shut and even then they'd have been deformed.

Poor bastard.

Fingering his single piercing, a simple, non-deforming stud, Louis couldn't help but be smug. The first decade of the twenty first century had not been kind when it came to body adornment.

"I like the tattoo though."

"Hmm?" Teddy murmured, doing his best to focus as the sway of the train threatened to lull him to sleep. He hadn't slept well the night before and it had been one hell of a long day.

"The bloke over there, I like his tattoo. Earrings were a mistake though."

Looking in the direction Louis indicated with a jerk of that stubborn chin, Teddy agreed with the earring statement but disagreed on the tattoo. He had been known to conjure up one of his skin a time or two in his youth, but they'd always been tasteful and appropriately placed. And as much as he believed he would have loved his mother had he any memory of her Teddy was fairly certainly that even had she lived he never would have been tempted to have 'Mummy' tattooed on his arm and encircles by thorny vines in the shape of a heart.

Laughing at the other man's expression Louis squeezed the hand he had yet to let go of. "I was only joking."

"You haven't any, do you?" He hadn't seen the other man naked in well over a decade, unfortunately.

The secretive little grin that crossed the blonde's face answered the question despite his coy response of, "Maybe."

Oh bloody hell. The man had a tattoo.

Somewhere, inked into that creamy, oh so touchable skin was some design meant to drive him crazy, Teddy just knew it. He could feel his brain threaten to overload as he speculated as to where this tattoo could possibly be and more importantly, what of?

Highly amused by the look that was now on Teddy's face Louis grinned and leaned forward to give the older man an affectionate kiss on the cheek.

Both men turning their head at the loud giggling, it didn't take them long to see that they'd made two girls very happy with the affection Louis had just shown for Teddy.

And while the looks the girls were giving them just confused Teddy, Louis was used to it and turning his head placed his lips against the other man's ear and whispered in French, just to give the girls an added thrill. "We're guy on guy fan service. They think we're a couple."

Fuck, he was only human for Merlin's sake. Much more stimulation and he'd give them real fan service, Teddy thought as he swallowed hard, another area of his anatomy getting harder by the second thanks to Louis's whispered words in the language of love. What had he done lately to anger the gods so bloody much? Did they want him to die from sexual frustration here? Seriously.

Picking up on the fact that Teddy was very aware of him Louis eyes all but glowed with triumph as he settled back in his seat, looking ahead since he didn't want to make it obvious. He was most definitely making progress.

And the mostly comfortable silence that descended between them the two Gryffindors allowed them to easily hear the whispered words of the two nearby girls who were being just loud enough that both men caught every bit of their speculating.

"The dark haired one is definitely the seme." The taller girl whispered to her friend, shooting not remotely covert looks in Teddy's direction.

"Obviously, the blonde couldn't be anything but the uke. He's so pretty! Just like in yaoi."

The girls whispered on about the fact that Teddy looked all stoic, dark and mysterious, and about how Louis struck them as bubbly, easygoing and affection, which were stereotypes of whatever this yaoi thing was they were prattling on about with such enthusiasm. And by the time both men had eavesdropped enough on the conversation to understand just what a 'seme' and 'uke' were even Teddy had found the humor in the situation.

"How do they not know we can hear them?" Louis mumbled under his breath, a little perturbed by the fact that as an 'uke' he was apparently supposed to be a bubblehead. He hated being thought that, especially based solely on his appearance, but he didn't want to ruin their evening by getting into another altercation so soon by calling the girls on their behavior.

Chuckling in sympathy Teddy gave the hand he held a squeeze. "At least you're not a cold, indifferent bastard who needs the love of his helpless little uke in order to become a decent human being."

Lips twitching Louis grumbled some more, though good naturedly. "You could have left out the helpless part."

"Why? It highlights the fact that you definitely aren't one, since you're not clumsy, stupid, or helpless, ever."

Very pleased with the matter of fact compliment Louis laid his head down on Teddy's shoulder and cuddled against his side. "Thanks, Teddy bear. You're not cold or indifferent either." Far from it, the blonde thought as he soaked up the warmth radiating from the other man's body. Staying like this for the foreseeable future sounded like a damn good idea to him.

And ignoring the fact that he was pretty sure Louis's head on his shoulder was sending the girls into spasms of delight Teddy figured what the hell, and gave them that much more 'fan service' by leaning his own head against Louis's, closing his eyes with a content little sigh as he thanked the blonde for the returned compliment.

)

Taking her laptop and tea out into the balcony Rosie set it up, sipping her tea as she waited for it to boot up. It was annoying having to use it outside but thanks to all the weird stuff her husband kept around the house her internet connection tended to suck unless she was using it outdoors. Once everything was good to go she clicked on favorites, accessed the correct site and then started reading through the day's headlines on her favorite Muggle newspaper, checking to see if there was anything interesting on that end.

She'd look over The Daily prophet later, since Sev always got up early enough to snag that before she could even see the front cover.

Once she'd read over everything that interested her Rosie decided to click on the sidebar advertising the pictures people posted from around the city for the hell of it. London Muggles posted the funniest pictures sometimes, and after the stressful week she'd been having she could use the laugh.

The first picture was of a kitten in a flower pot, the second of a familiar landmark at sunset and then….HOLY SHIT!

Rosie stared at the picture, blinked a couple of times, and then stared again. The image didn't change, nor did the two people in it become someone other than her two cousins.

Making a sound perilously close to a squeak Rosie closed the lap top lid and stumbled out of her seat, throwing open the patio door and running through the kitchen, physically pushing her husband out of her way as she ran to her office, retrieving the cell phone she kept turned off in there for these sorts of moments. Ignoring Sev's inquiry as to what had gotten into her Rosie headed out, shoving him out of her way once more as she ran back the way she'd come, slamming the patio door behind her.

Turning the phone on the redhead quickly dialed her brother's number, hoping desperately that he'd put it somewhere where he wouldn't have a hard time finding it. At least his was always on since he lived in the country and his Muggle devices worked just fine.

Luck was with her and her brother answered on the sixth ring, Rosie not even bothering with the usual pleasantries as she ordered her brother to get online and look up the picture in question as well.

In the background Rosie could hear Sev informing her that he was no longer going to share the breakfast he'd made with her but she just waved him off, not caring a whit as she waited for her brother to get on the same page as her so to speak.

"Oh, it's a rather lovely picture of them, isn't it? We should let them know, or better yet I'll just print out two copies and send it to them. I have the right kind of paper around here somewhere."

Rolling her eyes over her brother's reaction Rosie sighed. "I didn't call you at six thirty in the morning to talk about getting them a copy, I called you because they look like a bloody couple, now don't they? And we both know how Teddy feels about Louis and you know what Domi said about Louis deciding to try and start something up with him!"

"Well it looks like his plan is going well, which is good for both their sakes. I don't quite understand the notes of hysteria I'm picking up in your voice. It's not like Tori has any reason to see the picture, so it's not like it will tip her off."

"Yeah, but what if MUM sees it!" They were pretty sure their mum knew that Teddy was gay, but everyone had decided that she wasn't aware of the man's feelings for Louis since if she were she would have clued in Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny by now.

Hugo was silent for a moment, considering this. Those in the knowing had long concluded to keep their parents and older relatives out of the loop when it came to Teddy's feelings for Louis least they meddle in the man's affairs. And his mother would indeed meddle if she knew, quite a lot in fact. That could be bad, especially since things could come to a head very shortly, no dirty pun intended.

"I'll drop by and tell her I'm thinking of asking out the hot Slytherin intern working at the Ministry with her again. That will worry her and dad so much that they'll spend the rest of the week worrying about me and the photo won't even register if she sees it."

"Excellent plan. And don't ask that intern out again. Remember what happened last time?"

"Since I occasionally start skipping for no apparent reason yes, I remember."

"Good."

)

Waking up well rested Teddy stretched his arms out in front of him as he got his circulation going, feeling damn good as he headed for the shower to finish kicking his brain into high gear for the day ahead. It was while he was still in the shower that the Gryffindor recalled the events from the night before, unable not to grin as he remembered how it had ended. Poor Louis, he'd ended up falling asleep on the blonde after all and not wanting to wake him Louis had let them go the entire route and then back again before waking him up when they'd once again reached their stop. He'd been too tired to be embarrassed much, and Louis hadn't seemed to mind in the least though he had teased him the whole way home.

And it had definitely made the weird girls happy, Teddy thought with a roll of his eyes as he worked his shampoo into his hair. Apparently they'd taken 'covert' pictures of him sleeping against Louis, which the latter had of course found funny.

Personally he didn't even want to think about what they intended to do with the pictures they'd taken.

Though he supposed he should be heartened by the fact that this was the first time he'd ever seen girls behave that way when they spotted him being remotely affectionate with another man. He'd ridden the tube plenty of times with James and Al after all, who didn't resemble him in the least and therefore wouldn't automatically be labeled as family. They weren't as good looking as Louis, few were, but they were both good looking and just as worthy of taking photos of in his somewhat biased opinion.

Not to mention the fact that if James thought that anyone thought they were a couple the redhead would immediately behave that way, just to appease his twisted, Weasley sense of humor, Teddy thought with a smirk as he finished up his shower, well able to imagine it.

It just went to show just how great he was at pretending to be straight though, that he never got mistaken for being part of a pair even when he did go out with whoever he was dating at the time. Or maybe it was just obvious that they weren't what he was really looking for and the girls picked up on that somehow.

Hard to say, women were indeed strange creatures.

After drying off and getting dressed Teddy headed down to the kitchen to see what Louis had made them for breakfast, walking in to find the other man leaning up against the counter with what looked like a large photograph in his hand.

"What have you got there?"

"Your copy is on the counter over there." Louis answered without looking up, pointing in the general direction with his free hand.

Intrigued, Teddy walked over and picked his up, eyes widening as he took in the high definition, close up photograph of him and Louis with their heads together and fingers linked on the tube, him fast asleep while Louis was obviously awake and wore a content little smile that suggested he was quite happy to remain as he was for a long time to come.

Well…now he knew what the girls had done with the pictures they'd taken.


	13. Hold Your Hand

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Thanks for reading.

Hold Your Hand

Louis watched Teddy stare at the picture, a little unnerved by the man's silence. He couldn't tell from Teddy's expression what he was thinking and while he liked his picture quite a bit he knew that the other man might be a little freaked out because they looked so much like a couple in the photograph. "Uhm…Hugo sent it. Apparently one of those girls must have posted it on this Muggle newspaper's website and Rosie happened to see it. She clued him in and Hugo printed out a copy for the both of us. It's a really nice shot, huh?"

Looking up from the picture Teddy worked up a smile. "It is. I'll have to get it framed."

Oh fuck, Rosie had seen this? That wasn't good. She was way too perceptive and nosey for her own good sometimes. And while Hugo was just as observant and even more intelligent he trusted his male cousin to keep his thoughts on this to himself since the man made it a point to not interfere in the lives of his family unless asked to do so. Rosie would not be so easily dealt with if it came down to pretending the picture was completely misleading on his part.

"I'm going to frame mine too."

Pleased to hear that in spite of his new worries Teddy did his best not to make that too obvious as he returned the photograph to the table before turning his attention back to Louis, finding the man studying him intently with a strange look in his expressive eyes. "Something wrong?"

Mentally cursing himself for being caught staring Louis had to think quickly. "I was just thinking…people getting the wrong idea about the picture…that won't cause problems for you at work, right? On top of the whole investigation thing."

It took Teddy a moment to connect the dots, the Gryffindor immediately shaking his head. "No, it won't be a problem. I'm not well known enough for the paper to pluck it out and use it, and even if they did I don't care if they speculate about my sexuality on top of everything else. Actually, I'd rather they talk about that then the fact that I allowed a criminal to infiltrate my company and steal from my clients."

"Ah, that's good."

And that was that, both men deciding that a change in subject was in order and the two quickly turned their attention to talking about what they should have for supper that night with a great deal more thought then was remotely necessary.

)

Later, having talked Teddy into letting him walk the other man to work since he didn't have anything better to do, Louis took full advantage of the situation. It was a beautiful day after all and walking your special someone somewhere was a couples' thing to do. Plus he deliberately took Teddy's hand in his, teasing the man that they'd always held hands when they went walking because the older man had always been convinced that if he didn't keep a firm grip on him he'd wander off and get kidnapped. That could still happen, Louis pointed out solemnly, his blue eyes twinkling with humor. He was even better looking now than he'd been back then and wouldn't Teddy be ever so sad to lose him?

Hopelessly amused and charmed by the love of his life Teddy had to smile. "I would."

"There you go."

And so Louis was still holding Teddy's hand when they arrived at the man's building, the two saying good bye in front of the main door before Teddy headed in with a promise to eat all his lunch and come home for dinner at the agreed upon time.

Turning around once the door closed Louis froze as he looked into the eyes of the man who'd shown such interest in Teddy the day before. He hadn't even realized the man was there, and now he couldn't help but wonder just how long the Muggle had been watching him and Teddy. He'd say long enough given how coldly the older man was looking at him.

"It's Louis, isn't it?"

"Yes, and you're Ian, right? Your company does business with Teddy."

A flicker of heat was the only indication the man gave that he was peeved. "That's correct. But you know, you really shouldn't refer to him by such a juvenile pet name as Teddy in front of his colleagues. It undermines his authority and now more than ever that is not a good thing."

Okay, who the hell did this prat think he was dealing with, Louis thought as he deliberately curved his lips into the sweetest of smiles. "He doesn't mind when I call him that. It's all I've ever called him. Only people he works with or doesn't know well calls him Ted. And maybe if he were a lesser man it would be a problem, but I happen to know what he's made of and I assure you something like a sweet name isn't nearly enough to bring him down. You should have more faith in his abilities."

Silence descended as the older man turned Louis's words around in his head before he came to a decision.

"Look, I'll be blunt. I can tell that you're interested him but you aren't his type. You're too young and while you might be able to hold his attention with your looks and charms for a while he'll discard you soon enough. Save ruining this long relationship you seem to have with him and break it off now before your hormones ruin his relationship with your family."

Studying the man Louis could see that the man was serious, though he wasn't remotely concerned about possible family strife. He just wanted him out of the way so that he could have Teddy all to himself. And assuming the man wasn't a complete idiot, he was reserving judgment there, the older man believed that Teddy would be interested in the both of them which would suggest he felt there was reason to believe that Teddy might be open to the idea of swinging both ways. Once you reached a certain age you had to accept that people didn't just change their sexuality to suit you after all. The stuffed shirt was too old not to know that, but maybe he'd just misinterpreted things Teddy had said or did?

He'd analyze and think about that later.

"Since we're cutting the bullshit let me be blunt too. Teddy doesn't seem to have ANY interest in you and you aren't dating him so you don't have the right to try and chase me off or tell me what to do. My family is his family too and even if we did go out and then break up it wouldn't hurt either of us because we love each other too much to let that happen."

"You think he loves you?" The tone was full of derision with just a hint of deep pain. "You're deluding yourself. The only person he loves is that stupid, brainless bird he fell for years ago and never got over. Keep thinking he could ever truly love you back and you'll find out that you're even stupider than your hair color would indicate."

And having said more than he'd meant to Ian shouldered Louis to the side and got into the building even as the other man cursed his retreating back for making a dumb blonde joke.

Remaining where he was Louis fumed, wanting oh so much to chase the bastard down and give him what was coming to him but knowing that he shouldn't because Teddy would not appreciate him verbally tearing one of his clients into human confetti at his workplace.

Plus there was the fact that the man had slipped up just long enough to make it obvious that the guy didn't just want a chance to jump Teddy's bones. The man was in love with him. Going on instinct Louis was pretty sure that Teddy was aware of the other man's feelings and had informed the jerk that he couldn't return his feelings which was why there'd been such underlying tension between them yesterday. Ian hadn't struck him as the type not to go after what he wanted either.

So he would cut the guy some slack today and rip him to shreds the next time he shot off his mouth, Louis decided as he started walking again, turning his attention to something that had stuck out for him during the other man's little spiel.

Brainless bird? That had been a deliberate word choice on the man's part. Why?

It went without saying that Teddy wouldn't fall in love with a bird unless the person in question had a bird animagi form, and while there were magical creatures that resembled birds Ian wouldn't know about them as a Muggle. So why had he referred to the girl as a bird? Was that just his way of saying the woman was birdbrained? No, that would be too redundant.

Maybe the woman's name was a bird one? Like Robin or Raven?

Rubbing his hands together Louis grinned, sure he'd just been handed a clue as to how to go about finding out who Teddy's former love was. After all, how hard would it be for his older cousins to remember any girl they knew who had a bird's name?

Talk about narrowing his field of suspects, yay.

)

Louis headed for Domi's shop since she was one of the oldest of their generation and because the poor girl had had to listen to years of Victoire bitching and complaining about EVERY girl who'd ever shown Teddy the least bit of interest. His oldest sister would know the most about Teddy's love life of course but he knew better than to even broach the subject with her. He didn't have hours to spare if she was willing to clue him in, which was debatable since she was just waiting for him to fall on his face where Teddy was concerned.

So he let himself into his other sister's shop, nose immediately assaulted with smells he associated with women which only made sense since his sister's place was a shrine to the beauty products women bought in droves in their doomed to failure attempts to look as gorgeous as the shop's proprietor.

Making his way through the crowded place with frequent stops due to women asking his opinion on something, Louis finally arrived at the counter and was informed that his sister was in the back room with his cousin Lily, who was there dropping off some merchandise.

Thanking her Louis let himself into the back, calling out greetings to the both of them.

Since he wasn't looking at them weird the two women assumed that thank Merlin their voices hadn't carried. The last thing they wanted was to mess things up for Teddy at this critical point in the relationship that could shortly bloom between him and Louis.

"Hey, little brother, what brings you by?"

"I was hoping to talk to you for a couple minutes? The both of you actually, since you're here too, Lily."

"Sure, I'm not scheduled to blow anything up for at least another couple hours. What's up?"

Trying not to think about how many times Lily had blown herself up, he probably didn't even know about half of them for that matter, Louis focused on the reason he'd come by in the first place. "I was wondering if either of you had ever heard Victoire or anyone else mention Teddy seriously fancying a girl with a bird's name?"

Both girls turned to look at each other in confusion and then turned their attention back to the man who was confusing them.

"Why would you think he ever fancied some bird woman?" Domi demanded to know, not wanting him to be discouraged by the possibility that Teddy was still hung up on some imaginary girl.

"Well I spoke to someone who's been interested in Teddy for a while and he said Teddy was hung up on some woman with a bird's name. Or at least that's what I think he was insinuating. I know there was and is someone, but no one seems to know who that someone is." As much as he trusted Lily Louis wasn't about to admit to her that he was interested in Teddy too. Her first loyalty would be to the man she saw as her oldest big brother and he didn't doubt that she'd tip him off if she thought he needed to know.

"Who was this guy interested in my big bro?"

"Some guy he works with sometimes. I met him a couple times at Teddy's office."

That made sense, they'd always assumed that Teddy had to be taking advantage of his Muggle connections to find lovers since no one in either of their extensive social networks had ever even hinted that Teddy was shagging any wizards. Maybe this guy was an ex trying to run Louis off by making up some imaginary girl who-wait a second…

Both girls clued in at the same time, a knowing light dawning in both their eyes. Maybe Teddy HAD mentioned having feelings for someone with a bird's name, not clueing this unknown guy to the fact that this particular name was in fact a nickname. One that only Teddy called this particular person.

'That has to be it' Domi and Lily communicated to each other with their eyes, their female minds understanding each other perfectly while Louis knew that he was missing something but had just enough testosterone in his body that he wasn't sure what that something was.

"Translation, please?"

After silently debating with each other for a moment the women silently agreed to throw Louis a small bone in the hopes that he would run with it and eventually come to the right conclusion without them having to spell it out for him.

"Well we were just thinking that maybe the name could be a nickname, not just a first name."

"Crap." Realizing that they were right Louis pouted, seeing his great clue slip through his fingers. Hell, Teddy called him Hummingbird, maybe he made it a habit of nicknaming people after wildlife and he just hadn't realized it.

He didn't get it.

And while both women sighed over that Domi's assistant came into the back and rushed over to inform her boss that a very large, scarred and wealthy man had just entered the shop. He'd refused to so much as speak with her and had instead handed her a list of things he was apparently hoping to get. They were out of one of the items and she'd come back to see if Lily had brought more.

Intrigued by the description Domi grabbed the product in question and then headed out with her brother and cousin at her heels, all curious about the man.

"Sexy." Was Louis's opinion as he looked the guy at the cash register over, thinking that the man wasn't his type but was definitely worth looking at.

"Dangerous sexy." Lily corrected, her voice appreciative. Scars were hot.

"Mr. Dangerous Sexy is mine." Domi informed them before sashaying over to the counter to deliver the final item and hit on him, her relatives remaining where they were so that they could enjoy the show from a safe distance.

Somehow they just knew this guy wasn't going to react to Domi the way most men did and they couldn't wait.

)

Louis was all but waiting to pounce on Teddy as soon as the man got home, immediately launching into a detailed retelling of what had happened at Domi's shop between his sister and the mysterious man who'd shown up there unexpectedly. The man had spoken not a single word to anyone while he was there, only nodding of shaking his head when appropriate. He had also seemed completely immune to Domi's charms and had shocked them all by writing three words in bold, capital letters on a piece of parchment after paying for his purchases.

"And the three words were 'I'm A Werewolf'. He left before she could say anything and so she wanted me to ask you if you knew where she could find him." Louis explained as he helped Teddy out of his coat, having not given the man time to do so early. "He's about her age, really tall and built, with very short, dark hair, golden eyes, and apparently a lot of money from the size and heft of his money purse. Oh, and totally sexy, dangerous predator vibes coming off him if that helps. Major scarring around the neck and cheek."

Teddy allowed himself a moment to be pissed off at the thought of Louis calling some other guy sexy before answering. "If I was betting money I'd put mine on Christopher Worden given his age, inability to speak, and the fact that he's well off. He comes from an old, extremely rich wizarding family based in Eastern Europe. He must be here on vacation." Sheer jealousy had him adding that the werewolf was straight, even though he didn't know that for sure.

Surprised to hear the faintest hint of jealousy in the other man's voice, Louis was pretty sure he wasn't hearing things, the blonde couldn't have stopped his pleased smile if he'd tried, which he didn't. "No worries, Teddy bear. I leave such men to Domi. He's not at all what I'm looking for."

"He's not, huh?"

"Nope, I'm looking for a man just like you."

Louis's words hitting him like a blow to his stomach Teddy had to clear his throat before he could properly verbalize the questions that were screaming through his mind at top speed. "You're…you're looking for a guy like me? But I'm…I'm NOTHING like the blokes you usually date. Are you joking?" Because if the blonde was he wasn't being remotely funny.

"No joke." Louis assured him with a saucy wink. "I've decided that my previous taste in men sucks and that it's about time I try my hand at getting myself a real man who's good enough for me. Someone just like you."

"Oh."


	14. Storm Warning

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters get in.

Storm Warning

A part of Teddy wanted to confess then and there that he wasn't just like him but was him, and he was more than happy to date the other man. But the other, much more powerful part of his brain pointed out that people often said they were going to date a certain kind of person but t that that didn't mean they actually would. He knew too well after all that it was damn near impossible to change one's taste and he had never been Louis's taste before. This was probably just a phase he was going through, or coy teasing on the younger man's part. He'd be an idiot to think otherwise.

So he forced himself to smile affectionately as he reached out and ruffled Louis's hair like the man was still the boy he'd once babysat. "I'll believe that when I see it. You'll be dating another one of your boy toys before you know it."

Not caring for the hair ruffling, especially since he knew the gesture was meant to convey that he was still a kid, Louis had to school his features carefully to keep his reaction under wraps. "You'll see, I guarantee it." Even if he had to tie the man to his bed naked to get his interest firmly across.

And he'd be lying if he said that that mental image didn't almost have him wishing Teddy was going to be that dense where he was concerned.

Distrusting the look that had come into Louis's eyes, his own body was horribly misreading it, Teddy forced himself to ask if dinner was ready, breathing out a sigh of relief when the blonde went unnaturally still and then turned around in a blur of motion to bolt back towards the kitchen having just realized, from the curses Teddy heard as the man disappeared from sight, that he'd left whatever they were eating unattended when he'd come out to meet him at the door.

Taking another long, steadying breath Teddy shook his head as he mentally berated the both of them before turning his attention to putting his stuff away, knowing that he'd just get in Louis's way if he followed him to try and help.

And okay, he wanted a few minutes to himself while he got his stupid hormones under control.

No easy task, but he was pretty sure he'd managed it by the time he'd stowed away his stuff and arrived at the kitchen, sticking his head through the open door to inquire as to whether his assistance was needed for final prep or bringing stuff out.

Since they were having a casserole for dinner his help apparently wasn't needed and he was told to sit his butt down and wait another five minutes for it to finish.

Suddenly getting the feeling that he just might be in trouble with the other man for some reason Teddy thought it best to do as ordered, taking his seat to wait patiently for Louis to come with their dinner. And while he waited he wondered what he might have said or done to have annoyed the blonde. It could just be because he'd distracted the man from dinner, Teddy reasoned, knowing how much the younger man hated to burn and therefore waste food. Or maybe it had been his lack of faith that the man could suddenly change his taste in men. All Weasleys hated to be told they couldn't do something. That was often akin to waving a red flag in front of a bull. His tone had been teasing though…maybe he shouldn't have insinuated Louis dated immature boy toys?

That was probably it.

Deciding that must be the reason Teddy waited until Louis appeared with dinner and they both had a helping on their plate before he apologized. "I'm sorry if I offended you by suggesting that your preferred type is made up of boy toys. I didn't mean to be critical, you should date whatever kind of man suits you best."

"I'm not some immature kid, you know."

"I know that." Life would have been so much easier if Louis had just stayed a child.

"You ruffled my hair to make me feel like a kid. And you insinuated that I date boy toys who are only good for a fun time. That's what you think of me, that I can't handle a man who's as mature and adult as you." The more he'd thought about in the kitchen the more it had pissed him off and Louis couldn't help but bite off the words, reining in the full brunt of his temper only because this was Teddy.

Silent for a heartbeat Teddy chose his words with infinite care. "You're only twenty two, Louis. I might only be eight years older than you but that gap…feels huge sometimes. Our priorities, pastimes, our backgrounds just make that gap seem wider so that understanding each other is that much harder sometimes. And when it comes to the men you date…well you should know by now that I never find anyone good enough for the people my loved ones get involved with. Some of Lily's exes still probably get cold shivers if anyone mentions my name in front of them. I do know you aren't a child though, and that you could bring the strongest, toughest man to his knees if you set your mind to it."

"Could I bring you to your knees?"

Eyes widening at the question Teddy's body stiffened, his words toneless as he fought to give nothing away. "I'm not the strongest, nor the toughest man in the world."

"That's not what I asked."

"You've had me wrapped around your little finger since you were a boy, you know that."

Not about to let the man off so easy Louis opted to gamble, pushing his luck to see what the results would be. "That Ian guy seemed to fear our bond enough that he warned me off of you today. He's pretty pissed that he wasn't strong enough to bring you to your knees, and wanted to make sure I knew I couldn't do any better."

Eyes flashing with heat Teddy's jaw clenched. It had been bad enough that Ian had acted so possessive before, but it was an entirely other thing for his former lover to ambush Louis and attempt to warn him off. He'd made it clear to the man that he wasn't out to his family, dammit. How dare he? And far more importantly- "What exactly did he say to you?"

"That he thinks you and I are a couple."

While Teddy pondered that Louis suddenly had an epiphany that had him forgetting all about why he was angry with the other man in the first place. Because if that Ian guy had thought they were a couple then obviously the guy thought that the fact that he was male wasn't a problem in Teddy's books, Louis realized, unable to believe he hadn't put two and two together earlier. And you would think, wouldn't you, that Teddy's most obvious response to the other man's interest would be to point out that he wasn't gay or bi and leave it at that. So either Teddy had said that and Ian hadn't believed him…or that wasn't an argument his fellow Gryffindor could use.

What if, just for instance, Teddy had at least experimented in his youth? There were many who did, especially nowadays, and while the older man didn't have a Weasley sized curiosity his Teddy was the sort who went his own way when it suited him.

Had Teddy ever had a male lover? Had Ian come off as a jealous ex in the office because he was, in fact, a jealous ex?

Was the man he'd thought so mature and honest living a double life? Was everything he thought he knew about Teddy a lie? Had he been lying to all of them all these years?

"Louis…are you all right?" His stomach clenching in response to the pain and betrayal he saw in Louis's suddenly shattered blue eyes Teddy clumsily pushed his chair back and stumbled out of it, running around the table to get to the other man. Turning the chair so that the blonde was looking at him Teddy crouched down like a catcher, his hands cradling Louis's face as he repeated his question, begging for some explanation while his thumbs stroked the pale skin of the other man's cheeks.

He didn't stop to think about the consequences, at that precise moment he was beyond caring. No, he was running on pure emotion and the to the bone need to know the truth.

Moving with reflexes honed by anger Louis's hands came up to fist in the other man's shirt, using the hold to pull Teddy closer as he crushed their lips together, putting everything he had into the furious, passionate kiss that dared the other man not to respond, not to react to the intimate exchange as he took full advantage of the fact that Teddy had opened his mouth in shock.

Mere seconds passed and then Louis felt a shudder go through the man's frame, the only warning he had before Teddy's fingers were sliding across his skin so that they could dive into his hair and take control of his head as the man Louis had thought he'd known began to snog him back with a heat and eagerness that was stunning on a number of levels.

And it was when Louis realized this his grip changed so that he was pushing the other man away, his body screaming protests even as his heart hardened as Teddy finally allowed him to break the kiss, lifting his head to look at him in heated confusion.

"You couldn't kiss me like that if you weren't bi. You never said."

Staring at Louis as he struggled to understand, Teddy felt a chilling coldness wash over him as he realized why Louis had just kissed him. "That was why you kissed me? Just so you could find out whether I have any interest in fucking men?"

He'd waited for years to kiss the man like that and Louis had done it…for that reason.

Jerking to his feet Teddy towered over Louis, his fury a visible thing as he saw the truth on the younger man's face. "Well I hope you're satisfied. Because the next time you jerk me around like that I'll give you what's coming to you and to hell with the consequences. Don't think I'm not Black enough to do it."

And on that final note Teddy stormed out of the room, walking down the hallway towards the front door without once looking back.

Louis got out of his own chair just quickly enough to see the front door slam so hard the thick piece of wood vibrated in reaction.

)

He'd deliberately chosen the rundown Muggle gym because it was near his flat. He intended to work every muscle in his body until it screamed for agony and once that goal was accomplished he didn't want to have to go far. It wasn't the sort of place his clients frequented either, and if any Muggleborns should happen to stroll in…well then at this point he was too fucking angry to really give a damn what they thought of his present mood. Which admittedly, in some small part of his still functioning brain, Teddy knew was a bad thing. But again, at this point he really didn't care what that voice had to say since that voice had failed him when he'd needed it the most.

"You're going to break every bloody bone in your hands if you keep that up without proper gloves."

Teddy turned his head and glared at the man who'd silently moved to stand beside him. "I don't want company."

"Tough." The other man informed him, not looking the least intimidated despite the bone chilling coldness of the eyes staring back at him. "There's no way I'm doing anything but seeing you home. The boss would have my ass otherwise and we both know my boyfriend wouldn't like that. He pretty much considers that area of my anatomy his personal property."

"Sure, rub it in that you're in a happy, long term relationship. Fuck off." As an afterthought Teddy pointed out that the man was a top anyway, so why would Colin care as long as his dick was still working?

Ignoring that last part Wesley subtly moved his body, carefully making the other man move instinctively so that he could get between his boss's oldest and the punching bag the man had been bashing his hands against. "Is that why you're pissed? Some bloke do you wrong, Blue Eyes?"

He knew Wesley vaguely as an Auror who worked for his godfather and was involved with an adorable blonde that he himself might have been tempted by if not for the fact that he never poached. His contact with Wesley had always been limited to brief hellos in passing, but apparently he'd set the man's gaydar off at some point.

Thankfully he was too focused on his other problems at that moment to freak, and the cat was out of the bag anyway so what did it matter? He couldn't even work up a head of steam over the fact that the fates had decided to screw him over by orchestrating this meeting in the first place. Of all the gyms in all the world, the Gryffindor thought with the darkest of humor.

"I've never said anything to anyone, by the way. I don't out people, even when I see absolutely no reason why they'd be in the closet anyway."

Teddy made a dismissive motion with his hand and then to shove the man out of his way without success. Not liking that at all Teddy gave the Auror a look that would have done his grandmother's proud. "I can push you a hell of a lot harder."

"You can try." Was the Auror's cool response. "I'm taking you to your place or your godfather's, your choice."

"I'm meaner than you."

"I can arrest you."

The Gryffindor considered this briefly, harsh lips curving in the cruelest of smiles. "You Aurors never had much luck arresting members of my family. You lot, as I recall, were far more likely to end up permanently maimed or dead."

"You do that and the muggles will see you, the authorities will be contacted, and the news will be plastered all over the Daily Prophet tomorrow. Not that I think you're like your Black relatives, if you were you would be taking your anger out on the person who hurt you instead of an inanimate object."

Teddy was cursing the validity of the man's cool statement when a loud, appreciative wolf whistle drew their attention from each other, their interest heightened since the sound was abruptly cut off as the man who'd issued it suddenly blurted out that he'd thought the person he was whistling at was a woman.

Knowing who must have just entered the gym Teddy turned his back on the Auror and moved to another punching bag, rhythmically beating his fists against it with all his might as he mentally prayed that he would be overlooked.

)

Pushing back his wet bangs Louis ignored the man who'd apparently mistaken him for a guy, too busy scanning the room to care or defend his manhood as the other occupants of the room stared at him. That he didn't belong was obvious and Louis was extremely thankful for that fact. The place reeked, the equipment looked like old torture devices, and the whole place struck him as needing to be condemned. There was no way Teddy would ever enter such a place, it was probably full of transmittable diseases!

But when his name was called by a voice he didn't recognize Louis turned his head in that direction, eyes narrowing at the vaguely familiar man motioning him over. Then the identity of the man his name caller was pointing at registered and Louis's mind abruptly decided it didn't care about trying to figure out where he knew the other guy from.

Rushing over Louis was demanding that Teddy look at him even before he'd reached him.

Teddy's response was to bash his hands that much harder.

"You'll want to be careful, especially if you're the one who pissed him off." Wesley informed the blonde, not knowing the man well enough to know how much common sense he had but knowing trouble when he saw it. Blondie was definitely trouble.

Louis eyed Teddy cautiously, taking in the bare back and arms coated with sweat, the bloodstains he could see on and around the tape the other man had wrapped around his fingers to demonstrate just how much damage Teddy had already done to himself. He knew Teddy had been at this for a while, it had taken him an embarrassing long time to realize that Teddy wouldn't be going to a bar or to just walk his anger off. Teddy wasn't the type to drink away his problems and simple walking wouldn't have been enough given how angry he'd sensed he'd made him. After coming to that conclusion it had taken him a while to get ahold of Lucy to find out where Teddy's second residence was, knowing that that man would plan to go there eventually instead of coming home. Luck had been with him when the building's doorman had told him where to go, but it had taken additional time to find the place since it was such a hole in the wall establishment.

And now he was being ignored.

"Teddy…stop beating the crap out of that thing and look at me."

When he was ignored Louis's own eyes flashed as he put his hands on his hips automatically. "Teddy Lupin, you look at me this instances or else."

Again he was ignored, and Louis had never been the type to handle being ignored well.


	15. Bind You To Me

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter.

Bind You To Me

He was very good at getting his way seeing as he'd had a little over twenty years' experience throwing tantrums and verbally taking on anyone who dared try to stand in the way of him getting what he wanted. But for all of Teddy's statements about how twisted around his little finger he was Louis knew better than to underestimate this particular opponent. Plus the longer this drew out the more angry they were both bound to get and things could and likely would get ugly after that. Teddy wasn't going to be mature about this though, the man had dug in his heels and getting him to move was going to take a serious move on his part.

And since letting his instincts lead him had led to him into being in hot water in the first place Louis tried to think of what Teddy would do in a similar situation and that caused him to remember something the older man had done more than once when he was babysitting James and Albus while they were in a crowded place. Waist leashes weren't going to work in this case, but he could think of something that would work even better.

Sliding his hand in his jacket's deep pocket Louis wrapped his fingers around his wand and lifting it slightly out performed the spell inside his jacket pocket so that none of the Muggles around them could see. The bottom of said pocket changed shape as the item he'd conjured appeared, Louis letting go of his wand so that he could withdraw his weapon of choice.

Teddy didn't have time to react before Louis snapped a handcuff over his wrist, the blonde snapping the other around his own wrist with a click that seemed to echo in the suddenly silent room.

"You come home with me right this instant or I swear I will hold my breath until I pass out from lack of oxygen and you're stuck dealing with my unconscious body!" Of course the man could simply remove the handcuffs with his wand once they were out of sight of the Muggles, but there was no way Teddy would just leave him somewhere without staying until he regained consciousness. He was also pretty sure Teddy wouldn't want to risk the wrath and interest of their family by dropping him off with one of them and then bolting.

"That's your best threat?" Wesley gave the blonde a disbelieving look, the multitude of dumb blonde jokes he knew coming to mind.

"He's done it before. He means it." Louis had been seven and James and Fred had thought it funny to play keep away with the boy's favorite stuffed animal. He hadn't been there, but apparently Louis had been swaying on his feet and the color of a purple grape before the boys clued into the fact that they better hand the toy over before their cousin passed out and they were dead meat when Louis's sisters got ahold of them.

He did mean it, and since Teddy wasn't moving fast enough Louis dropped his final ultimatum. "So are you coming or does there need to be a repeat of the Hemlock incident?"

Nobody failed to notice all the color that drained out of the older man's face at this newest threat.

"What's the Hemlock incident?"

Teddy looked over at Wesley, already shaking his head in defeat. "If you knew you'd thank me for not telling you." And on that note Teddy turned his attention back to Louis. "Fine, we'll go home then. I just need to grab my bag from the locker room. You'll have to come too, obviously."

It was Louis's turn to visibly pale and grimace. "Is it as disgusting and grimy in there as it is out here?"

"Oh, much worse."

Following in Teddy's wake as they weaved their way through the equipment Louis muttered, "The things I do because I love you' just loud enough for Teddy to hear, Louis not missing the fact that his words made the other man flinch.

And that telling little flinch had Louis keeping his mouth shut as he entered what was basically the blonde's idea of the first level of hell, doing some flinching of his own as he carefully made sure he didn't brush up against or step on anything that would no doubt transmit a virus that would kill him dead even if Teddy were to get him to St. Mungos as quickly as possible. Because while primitive Muggle medicine had obviously forced the regular human beings to build up plenty of resistance to their horrible diseases, Louis couldn't see how he and Teddy were going to escape the locker room without contracting something.

If it weren't for the fact that the gym and the sidewalk they eventually reached once they left the building hadn't been dirty as well, Louis would have kissed both.

The common sense that kept him from showing his relief to be out of there also had Louis reaching out to carefully link his fingers with Teddy's damaged ones, not surprised when the man gave him a look that made it clear he didn't want to be touched in any way by him. "We're wearing handcuffs, Teddy. If we hold hands it won't be obvious and we won't have some git thinking we've just broken out of jail or something."

Unable to argue with that logic Teddy simply started walking in the direction they needed to go as the rain pelted down on them lightly from above, slipping into a relatively clean alleyway that halfway through split off into a smaller, dead end alley. After looking around to make absolutely sure that there wasn't anyone around who could perchance see what they were doing Teddy pulled out his wand, intending to do away with the handcuffs that bound them together.

Anticipating the move Louis shot the idea in the foot. "Try and I'll jerk on the chain so that you'll miss. It comes off when we get home and I get the chance to fix your hands."

"Angering me further would not be wise, Louis."

"And angering ME further is such a great idea?"

Jerking Louis closer with the hand that still held onto his Teddy's eyes warned of dire consequences to come. To highlight that fact he gave Louis only a moment's warning before he dissipated them both from the alley.

)

It was in stilted, angry silence that they arrived back at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, the two heading for the staircase side by side as they followed it up, their destination Teddy's bedroom. When they arrived there Louis demanded Teddy's promise that he would remain seated on the bed until he returned and when that promise was given the younger man used magic to rid them of the cuffs before heading into the connecting bathroom to go through the cabinet that contained what he would need according to Teddy. He also couldn't help but look longingly at the shower, thinking that they both needed one after visiting that disgusting gym, but Teddy's welfare came first and he would simply shower after he'd played healer and cleared the air between them.

Naturally he found the cream exactly where Teddy had said the container would be and after collecting a wash cloth and dampening it in the sink Louis headed back into the bedroom to deal with his rigid, still and cold as a marble statue companion.

Sitting on the bed across from Teddy Louis was grateful when the other man silently shifted a little closer, moving to sit cross-legged as he held out his hands to be seen to. At least the man was cooperating with him now...sorta.

Setting aside the cream for the moment he carefully used the damp cloth to wipe away the sweat and blood that hid some of the damage, wincing plenty one he got a look at the cuts and swelling that marred Teddy's usually perfect hands. It didn't surprise him that Teddy stayed still and silent though, not showing for a moment the pain he had to be in.

That was Teddy for you, which made the pain he'd apparently caused the other man earlier to weigh on him even more as he thought about it.

Once he'd cleaned them up as best he could Louis carefully dabbed the cream over the battered skin and then used his wand to conjure up bandages to wrap around the man's knuckles so that they would have a better chance of healing quickly and without any nasty germs getting into the shallow wounds.

And that done Louis took a deep breath and then looked up from Teddy's hands to meet the man's eyes.

"You don't remember, obviously, but a little while ago I came up here to wake you up for breakfast. You know how deeply you sleep so you can imagine how much luck I had with that. Anyway I was shaking your shoulders and for whatever reason, maybe you were dreaming about it or it was just an instinct thing but you…you pinned me on the bed before I could stop you and snogged the hell out of me."

That had Teddy's stoic expression shattering in a heartbeat, the older man staring at him in stunned disbelief.

"I…I…what?"

"You snogged me, good and proper and…well then your alarm clock went off and half awake you got off of me, stripped while you were walking towards the bathroom and…well you never knew what happened and I didn't say anything. But while I was sprawled out on your floor after falling out of it I decided that…well that I was going to do whatever I could think of to convince you to go out with me and see if we could…start seeing each other…romantically. I even went to Victoire and asked her permission just so that wouldn't come back to bite me in the ass and I've been dropping hints and flirting but you never seemed to really pick up on that and then…and then I just got this sense that you and Ian had once been together and that you were possible bi or even gay but you never said so and that really, really pissed me off and hurt cause you never said so and so I pulled that stupid stunt earlier. I shouldn't have done it and I should have just been honest with you but you should have been too if you like guys because you're insulting all of us if you think you need to hide that from us. We all love you like crazy, you know."

Teddy stared at Louis as though he'd never seen him before in his life. "You…you asked VICTOIRE'S permission to ask me out? To SLEEP with me if I was interested?"

"Of course I did. Do you have any idea what she'd do to me if I hadn't and she found out about it? The whole being her little brother wouldn't have saved me; that would have made it worse. A lot worse. Physically, permanently disfiguring worse. And that's not important, what's important is us clearing the air about you so that we both know how pissed off we should actually be with each other."

"You willingly…in person…asked your sister, Victoire Weasley Hawkins, for permission to ask me out?"

"That's what I said, didn't I? I mean she only gave permission because she doesn't think I have a chance in hell but-no, staying on subject-mmph."

)

If it was wrong to snog Louis now Teddy's brain didn't register that fact as he yanked Louis into his lap with one hand while the other moved to cup the back of the blonde's head to put it at the perfect angle for his own mouth to devour Louis's. And no warning bells went off as their lips touched either, the only warning given one that suggested he keep a tight grip on the other man so that he could thoroughly snog Louis's brains out so that they didn't have to talk anymore. He didn't want to talk anymore, they'd talked enough and he'd heard what he'd needed to hear and know.

Louis had gone to Victoire about him.

Most people wouldn't have gotten how telling that was, but most people didn't ever see the full brunt of Victoire's fury and what she was capable of when she felt betrayed or slighted by someone. That Louis wanted him badly enough to personally face his sister and inform her of his intentions and interest in him…well that was more than he'd ever thought any man would feel for him.

As it was he'd thought often that introducing Victoire to Ian would be the one guaranteed way to insure the other man stopped trying to get back into his pants.

But Louis had faced her and come out the victor so to speak, and that called for some serious rewarding on his part, Teddy thought as he broke off the kiss to tell Louis to open his mouth for him, making a small sound of approval when the younger man complied.

Clutching onto Teddy's shoulders as the man's tongue did delightfully sinful things in his mouth Louis struggled to keep up as he used his own tongue to tease and taste to his need's content. Not an easy thing to do since it turned out that snogging with an awake Teddy were even more lethal and lust inducing than the ones shared with half asleep Teddy. He could hardly concentrate on what he was doing, feeling utterly dominated as the fact that Teddy had been doing this a lot longer than he had came through loud and clear in the most delicious of ways.

Moaning low in his throat when Teddy broke off their snogging to kiss a line along his jaw Louis naturally moved his head to the side to give the older man better access, gasping when Teddy's lips moved from the edge of his jaw to his ear, taking a couple playful nips before tonguing the small hoop there, the action sucking all the air from Louis's lungs even before Teddy sucked the pierced lobe into his mouth. The sound of him sucking there so rhythmically, combined with the gentle pull of it, had Louis feeling the tug in his stomach and groin, making him shudder and tighten his legs against Teddy's sides.

Suddenly desperate to feel more of the man Louis slid his hands under Teddy's damp shirt, lightly scraping his nails down the other man's sweaty back when Teddy turned his attention to his neck, surprising him by slowly dragging his tongue up the pale length.

Drawing slightly back and wanting to feel Louis's hands all over his body without hindrance, Teddy quickly grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head, tossing it onto the floor before turning back to see the heat in Louis's eyes as the blonde reached out and started trailing his fingers over his now bare chest.

"Like what you see?" He asked huskily, wanting the praise. Needing to hear that Louis's earlier yummy comments hadn't just been one of the man's tests.

"Yummy, just like I said before." And to prove he meant it Louis leaned back in to try and take charge of the situation to prove his eagerness, crushing his lips against Teddy's in what was meant to be a kiss that would wipe away any doubts the man might have about his desire for him.

Impatient to be able to run his hands over Louis's body the way the other man was doing to his own flesh Teddy dropped his hands down to grasp the hem of the other man's top, tugging it up and breaking off the snogging just long enough to remove the garment before claiming Louis's lips once more, now running his hands eagerly over the body he'd dreamed about for so long but hadn't permitted himself to touch in years.

Now he wanted to touch everywhere, Teddy thought as his blood ran thick and hot through his veins. He wanted to learn every inch of the man's flesh so that he could memorize it and store the memories away in his mind to hold onto for later. And that unwanted thought, the knowledge that the right to touch Louis this way wouldn't always be his, drove Teddy to tumble them both onto the bed, his hands becoming more possessive and bolder in their caresses as they slipped beneath Louis's trousers and pants to cup the blonde's ass, squeezing the cheeks suggestively.

Gasping in surprise, the sound muted by the lips that had taken ownership of his own, Louis couldn't believe what they were doing even as his body made it clear that it wanted more of Teddy Lupin. A lot more. And while in some part of his mind he knew that he should be hesitant to cross so many lines with the other man so quickly, especially with so many things still up in the air, Louis couldn't seem to make himself break away and call a halt to what they were doing. It was like Teddy was literally taking possession of his body, seeming to know just how to seduce him with his wicked mouth and hands.

And then Teddy's lips left his once more, moving down to one nipple and then the other, teasing each nub with his tongue before sucking each one red and painfully erect, the hands he'd placed on Louis's ass earlier getting busy as they forcefully rubbed their bodies together in a grinding rhythm that had them both panting and moaning for more.

The need for more had Teddy deciding that he should move further down Louis's chest to the clothing that remained in his way.

Shuddering as he watched Teddy kiss his way down his chest, knowing without a doubt now how this night was going to end, Louis licked his lips nervously as his cheeks pinked up, feeling as nervous as a first timer for some strange reason. "Teddy…you've…with a guy before?" Because if not he was going to have to tell Teddy what to do and he could see himself stumbling through that to an embarrassing degree.

Amusement gleamed in Teddy's dark blue eyes for a moment before the hot desire he felt for Louis overpowered the lighter emotion. "Yes, I know how to love you this way. You'll leave my bed well satisfied, I guarantee it, Hummingbird."

Oh boy. Yay.


	16. A Partial Explanation

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters end up in. Thanks for reading!

To KisaraP for being one of my fangirls heh.

A Partial Explanation

Okay, so he'd been imagining what sex would be like with Teddy since he'd decided to go after the man, and yet Louis couldn't help but feel like he'd stepped into an alternate universe as he watched Teddy undo his trousers for him. With his head bent to his task Teddy's eyes were hidden from him, but he'd seen into them enough in the past few minutes to know that the scenes his imagination had generated were not going to live up to the reality. He'd known Teddy would be dominant and a little controlling, that was just how he was, but he hadn't anticipated this level of intensity and chemistry. The air was practically crackling with it.

Lifting his hips automatically when Teddy tugged his trousers and pants down Louis watched as they were completely removed and tossed to the floor, unable to look away as he felt Teddy's gaze move up his body, taking in the now exposed flesh. He didn't have to know what was in those eyes to feel the heat that lived there, his stomach and thigh muscles tightening automatically as he tensed up, unable to relax as he waited to see what Teddy would do next.

"You're so beautiful." Teddy breathed out softly, the words only audible because there was nothing else to drown them out. "So very beautiful."

Blushing a little, and not entirely sure why, Louis tried to interject some humor into the situation, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Exactly what parts of me are you calling beautiful, hmmm?"

The grin Teddy wore had shivers of anticipation running down Louis's spine even before his words registered.

"Next time I'll give you a detailed cataloguing of every part of you I find beautiful…but right now I have something far more important to do."

That something, Louis found out seconds later, was applying his mouth and tongue to the task of giving him the most thorough, guaranteed to make his toes curl blow job he'd ever been on the receiving end of.

He wasn't being remotely toyed with either, that Teddy was determined to bring him to climax as quickly as possible was obvious to Louis as he buried in hands in the other man's hair as he tried to control himself a little without a hell of a lot of success as he bucked and moaned his pleasure.

He tried though, really he did.

But the fact that Teddy had had years more to hone his skills in this area were very apparent and the man was far too good at taking cues from his reactions, learning what he liked and applying that knowledge with a single-minded focus that had him approaching a climax so fast that he only just managed to process that fact before it was too late.

Whimpering and well aware that he was about to go off like a teenage boy Louis forced himself to take a deep breath as he tugged insistently on Teddy's hair to get the other man's attention. "You have to…stop. You're going…I'm going to…I can't last if you keep that up."

Biting his bottom lip hard as he felt Teddy's lips retreat Louis moved his hands to the covers, fisting them there as though that would help him leash the orgasm that was so close he could taste it. But he didn't want this to be all about him and Teddy definitely wouldn't want to make a habit of this if he didn't make it clear he was worth bedding.

"And why, exactly, would I not want you to come?" Teddy inquired when his mouth was no longer full, remaining where he was as he tipped his head up so that he could meet Louis's gaze. "That's rather the whole point."

"Uh uh." A stubborn look came into Louis's eyes. "The first time we come together. Believe me, you can do what you were just doing as much as you want later."

Just to tease him Teddy's licked his lips, savoring the taste. "I don't like to be rushed."

"Teddy."

Obviously amused by the commanding way Louis had spoken his name Teddy made a show of sighing before moving back up the blonde's body until they were face to face again, Teddy brushing his lips over Louis's before pointing out the obvious. "As close as you are you'll go off on my fingers."

"Will not."

"I could make you…but if it's important to you…" Stealing one last kiss as he trailed off, Teddy reluctantly got off of Louis long enough to retrieve the bottle of lubricant he kept in his bedside drawer before returning to his earlier position, deliberately drawing the blonde's legs up on either side of his waist before he started coating three of his fingers with the bottle's contents.

How Louis thought he was going to be able to rein himself in was beyond Teddy as he reined in his own desires to begin gently working Louis open for him, wanting the blonde more than able to take him when he slid something far more enjoyable inside his pretty ass. Because once he got inside of Louis Teddy knew he was going to lose it. He knew himself too well to think otherwise. He'd been waiting for this chance for years, and it had been far too long since he'd had a lover on top of that. He was primed in every way and if it weren't for his determination to insure that Louis remembered this night for the rest of his life he'd have gone off already from the pleasure of sucking the other man off.

Louis wasn't the only one fighting back an orgasm already.

Trying not to arouse more than necessary as he gradually worked all three fingers in, Teddy did more than his fair share of groaning as he felt those fingers being squeezed and massaged, Louis's body fighting to draw them in deeper and keep them there.

And on that note…"Enough foreplay?"

"Dear fucking Merlin, YES!"

Chuckling in spite of himself Teddy quickly withdrew his fingers, just as eager and more than ready to give them both what they wanted. Setting Louis's right leg up and onto his shoulder Teddy reached down to position himself properly and then leaned forward to take what was his, groaning out Louis's name as he felt himself being taken too.

Gasping against Teddy's lips as he was penetrated Louis reached up to hold Teddy's head where it was, needing the contact as he stretched and arched his body up to take what he was being given, wanting it more than his next breath.

Waiting until he was fully seated inside his lover Teddy took several slow breaths before he asked Louis if he needed longer to get used to him, silently praying that that wasn't the case. And when Louis shook his head Teddy nodded in response and then crushing his lips against Louis's let the reins go free.

Louis would think later that he literally felt Teddy's control snap, the other man's eyes going close to feral as he plunged deep inside him again and again with hard, powerful strokes, filling him, stretching him to his limits so that Louis could do little more than hang on and absorb the power of Teddy's possession.

Minute by minute the pressure built up to unbearable levels, their bodies becoming coated in sweat as their muscles worked overtime to do their bidding. Every gasp and moan Louis made in between hot, open mouthed kisses seemed to slide into his blood like fuel to a fire, to the point where Teddy wasn't aware of anything but the two of them and the fact that their bodies were joined and producing sensations that had his whole body primed and aching for a release that would send them both on the ultimate high.

Crying out Teddy's name over and over again like a pray when his orgasm hit him, Louis felt like he'd gotten caught up in a massive tidal wave, his climax pummeling and battering his system with sensations magnified to an overwhelming degree that shattered his world even as it presented him with a better one.

All but growling in satisfaction at the sounds and sight of Louis coming underneath him, Teddy turned his focus to finishing what he'd started, already lost in the blonde's body as he kept thrusting away until the tidal wave found and hit him as well, dragging him under so that he ended up collapsed on top of his lover, struggling just to breath as he nuzzled close and let himself just live in the happiest moment he could recall ever having in a very long time.

)

Utterly exhausted Louis's arms slid down Teddy's sweat covered back to thump uselessly onto the bedcovers, the blonde lying motionless under Teddy's body as he tried to understand what he was currently feeling. He'd always considered sex fun as hell, a great way to spend one's time that usually left him either really relaxed or energized and ready to have even more fun. Really hot, wild sex had been comparable to a really good rollercoaster too, but what he and Teddy had just done together had not left him relaxed, energized, or feeling like he'd just been on one hell of a thrilling ride.

No…if he had to compare it to something it would be getting stuck at the height of a category four storm and somehow surviving.

He totally got why his maman's people called it the 'little death' now.

He had barely recognized Teddy towards the end, the man morphing from the quiet, controlled man he'd known all his life to a forceful, dangerous predator that had been completely focused on possessing him, taking him as his mate so that every inch of his body knew it belonged to Teddy and no one else ever again.

Which, quite frankly, had scared the bloody hell out of him.

Feeling Teddy shifting up onto his elbows Louis felt his throat tighten up, a shiver running down his back at the thought that he was about to see those fierce, downright hypnotizing cobalt eyes again. Eyes that had made him willing to do anything Teddy might ask of him.

But when Teddy's eyes met his they were soft and gentle, no hint of the earlier passion that had had them both by the throat until they hadn't been able to breath.

Breaking out into a smile at this confirmation that he had his Teddy back Louis's grin only widened when the older man smiled back, sighing in pleasure when Teddy carefully shifted them over so that they were on their sides so that Louis didn't have to bear his weight alone. Allowing himself to be cuddled up against Teddy's chest Louis closed his eyes again, content to stay in the safety he now felt in the man's arms while his hair was being stroked so lovingly.

They stayed that way for a few minutes before Louis spoke, having recovered enough to brave bringing up the question he'd asked earlier but had never gotten an answer to. Why hadn't Teddy ever told them that he was attracted to men too?

The silence that greeted his question unnerved him, Louis just about to call it back when Teddy spoke.

"I can give you a partial answer, but the other part I'm going to have to keep to myself for the sake of someone else."

He wanted the whole explanation, but Louis nodded and said that was okay. At least okay for the time being, he silently added to himself.

"I'm….I'm not bi, Louis. I'm gay. And one of the reasons no one knows that is because I fought my sexuality tooth and nail up until my mid-twenties. Being gay…accepting that I was gay meant giving up something I've wanted all my life and with typical Black stubbornness I refused to accept that truth about myself until I had no other choice."

Louis didn't have to think hard to guess what that something was. He, like everyone else in their family, knew what Teddy had always dreamed of having ever since he was a child. "You can't get married or have biological children if you're gay. You didn't want to be gay because that meant you couldn't have the big family you've always wanted."

"Exactly." There was both regret and acceptance in Teddy's voice as he continued. "So I fought it, went out with girls, ignored what my…body wanted and tried to be who I wanted to be. It didn't work of course, but Blacks have their own brand of stubbornness and…I didn't start seeing men until I was twenty two. You came out shortly after that but I was still hoping to change my fate and I thought I'd do more harm than good if I came clean about everything and you and everyone else got the wrong idea. I feared that you might all think that I thought there was something wrong with you embracing who you are and that you might think I thought you should try and change the way I was. And in all honestly it made me feel…immature and stupid, to fight so hard what a boy could accept so easily what I couldn't seem to stop myself from denying. By the time I'd given up completely…I had another reason for keeping quiet, and that second reason isn't something I can tell you…at least not now."

He'd always had his parents and siblings, a large family that were constants in his life and who he couldn't imagine not having around. By blood Teddy only had his grandmother. Teddy had no memory of his parents, and the rest of his 'family' was of the honorary sort. To his way of thinking that made them even more family, because they were family by choice and not because they shared blood, but you'd have to be an idiot not to get the fact that growing up without a traditional family had seriously shaped who Teddy was.

Shifting up so that his head was resting on the pillow beside Teddy's Louis reached out to stroke the other man's cheek. "I probably would have been hurt, especially since I was just a kid back then, so I guess I can't hold that against you…but I still don't like it…especially if you expect me to pretend we aren't together now. Which I'll have to, right, to be with you?"

"No." Teddy answered softly. "I won't ask you to lie for me. If you want everyone to know then that's fine. I'll deal."

Okay, now he was really confused. "But what about the second reason, the reason you won't tell me?"

That would be the tricky part, Teddy silently acknowledged as he continued to stroke Louis's hair, finding comfort in it. Keeping the others from realizing that he was in love with Louis, and not just attracted to him, would be difficult as hell. He'd have to do his level best to avoid them being observed together, and be on his guard at all times, but he would never, could never let Louis think for a moment that he was ashamed of their relationship. And he wouldn't ask the man to lie to his family, their family for him either.

There was going to be hell to pay though.

And not wanting to think about that at the moment Teddy decided to concentrate instead on the fact that for now, maybe even for a while, he had his Hummingbird.

Shifting forward Teddy pressed his lips against Louis's, pleased when they automatically parted to allow him access, snogging him back as he rolled them so that Louis was on top of him this time.

Breaking off the kiss Louis grinned, though there was a gleam in his eyes that said he was well aware of the fact that Teddy was once again aroused. "Nice recovery time." He purred out, smoothing his fingers across the older man's bare chest.

Deliberately smiling in a decidedly 'Black' way Teddy waited until a hint of wariness appeared in Louis's blue eyes before he clued the other man into why it was he was so confident the blonde would leave his bed well satisfied.

"This is nothing. I'm a Metamorphmagus, Louis. I can manipulate EVERY aspect of my body."

Teddy waited until the blonde's eyes had gone as big as dinner plates in shock before pouncing.

He had no intention of sleeping that night.

)

Rubbing a tired hand over his face Harry headed up the steps, leaning against the door after he'd used the doorbell to signal his arrival. Given what time Teddy usually headed for the office the house's two occupants should be having breakfast, but if they were at war the way Wesley had indicated it was quite possible that wasn't the case. Louis had an explosive temper after all, and Teddy could out freeze the North Pole when he lost his. Not a good combination, which was why he'd decided to drop in before heading in to work.

Okay, Ginny had seen the letter Wesley had sent and demanded he stick his nose in their godson and nephew's business, but he would have dropped by eventually…once they'd had more time to cool off.

And he was pretty curious as to what the two men were fighting about. They'd always gotten along pretty well considering the gap in their ages and differences in personalities. Well that and it took something big to make Teddy snap, not that Louis wasn't perfectly capable of being that annoying.

Lips twitching Harry's amusement changed to parental mush when Teddy's patronus came stumbling through the door, yawned at him, and then informed him in a very sleepy voice that neither he nor Louis could come to the door at the moment but to please send a patronus message if either of them needed to get back to him.

The silvery white wolf yawned one last time and then dissipated.

"You forgot to ask me to leave my number after the beep." Harry murmured, shaking his head, not doubting for a moment that Teddy wouldn't even remember sending his patronus message in the first place. His godson had definitely not had any caffeine yet, or he would have come to the door. The boy had had his manners drilled into his head too well to do otherwise.

Thoughtfully he considered trying to get ahold of Louis, who was actually a morning person, but decided to just leave it.

He'd come back later after work.


	17. An Eventful Morning

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the general plot. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

An Eventful Morning

Letting herself into the house Lucy checked her watch once again, calculating that she had exactly fifteen minutes to check on Teddy, make sure he was alive, and then hustle out of there to make her next meeting on time. Or at least that was the plan, she thought ruefully, knowing how good members of her family were at blowing her schedule. Especially in this case. Because normally Teddy messaging her to inform her that he was taking a day off from work would be a sign that the world was coming to an end, but she could see Louis putting his foot down if Teddy was sick and making the man stay home for the day too. Her little cousin had the power after all. And since she knew from personal experience that Teddy was a real baby when he was forced to behave like a normal sick person and rest…well she figured Louis had to be contemplating smothering the man with a pillow by now.

Or he'd left to stop himself from doing so since none of her calling out got a response from anyone as her voice echoed in the quiet.

Shaking her head in amusement at the thought, Lucy picked up her pace, making her way up to Teddy's bedroom in record time since she didn't have any to spare. And knowing how dead to the world Teddy was when he was sleeping Lucy opened the door just enough to stick her head in, just in case he was getting changed, throwing up, or something equally embarrassing that required her to duck out quickly so they wouldn't both be mentally scarred.

But he wasn't getting changed or throwing up…in fact she couldn't recall ever seeing him look better as he lay naked in his completely trashed bed, thankfully mostly covered by her cousin who was sprawled over him and just as naked, though thank Merlin it was his rear she was seeing and not something else that would have required a lot of liquor to erase from her brutally scarred memories.

Slapping a hand over her mouth to muffle her reactions to the sight Lucy carefully stepped back and closed the door once more, keeping her hand right where it was as she slowly made her way back down the hallway, opting to use the stairs instead of dissipating since she didn't trust her concentration at the moment.

HOLY HOGWARTS!

And keeping one hand over her mouth and the other on the bannister Lucy jumped up and down in her heels, completely jubilant as she realized what had apparently occurred since the last time she'd seen the two.

He was going to get his chance, she silently chanted with a great deal of exuberance and butt wiggling. He and Louis had hooked up! They were sleeping together and-and oh shit, when Victoire found out…

Freezing at the thought Lucy looked back towards the top of the stairs again, her eyes huge as she realized the storms that would be coming in bulk when this got out to everyone else.

Oh shit!

And what was she going to do now that she knew? Should she let them know that knew or keep it to herself? It wasn't like she'd meant to stumble on them like that, she would have been quite happy to have gone the rest of her life never having seen them naked together. And it wasn't like she could ask anyone's advice since she'd need to talk to someone who knew them both to understand her dilemma. Teddy would never forgive her if she blurted out the news before he and Louis were ready for anyone to know, especially if she inadvertently sicced Victoire on them before they were ready to handle her.

How did they think they were going to handle her cousin, anyway?

The mind boggled just thinking about it.

That was too big for her to figure so she'd leave that alone and concentrate on what she was supposed to do about her present situation. She…she wouldn't get any advice and she'd…she'd talk to Teddy tomorrow about the whole thing, Lucy decided after some more thought on the matter. She'd lay it all out, including the fact that she'd known all along how he felt about Louis, and ask what she could do to help him make his relationship with her cousin work.

That's what she'd do…and it was time to get the hell out of there before one of them woke up and discovered her lurking in the hallway.

And on that note she turned and hurried out of the house as quickly and quietly as she'd come.

)

A Half An Hour Later

Half awake, Louis was aware of the now very familiar hand moving up and down his spine but refused to show any reaction least Teddy realize he was even semi conscious once again. Movement, he'd learned, only encouraged Teddy to pounce and his ass was already broken, thank you very much. Not that it hadn't been worth it, the night he'd had had pretty much ruined him for life anyway, but he wanted to take a little time to mourn the loss before Teddy felt the need to remind him that his ass didn't even have to be involved for him to end up in a post climax coma. And oh man but Teddy knew how to cause an orgasm. Lots of orgasms.

Oh he was so tired.

"Do I want to know what you're thinking?" Teddy asked, proving that he was aware that he wasn't the only one awake.

"Tired. Sleeping. No touchie. Below the waist." Louis amended, since he liked the back stroking. Well to be honest he loved Teddy stroking him below the waist even more, but he was trying to be good here.

There was amusement in the older man's voice when he asked if Louis wanted to stay in bed all day.

Considering the thought Louis had to admit that it would be pretty appealing if not for the fact that them remaining in bed would probably only encourage the man to jump him in the near future. And as the last three times had proven he had absolutely no will power where Teddy was concerned. He'd really meant to put on the brakes, give his body and mind time to recover a little, but the other man was just too damn good for his good. The man had already figured out his weakest points and like any Black would Teddy had taken merciless advantage of them. Repeatedly.

Moaning when he felt Teddy's hand give his ass an affectionate rub Louis was about to cry mercy when he found himself be rolled onto his side, Teddy pulling away from him once he was settled.

As he watched Teddy turned and gave him his back, getting off the bed with an ease that had Louis green with envy. He'd gotten out of bed a couple hours ago to go to the bathroom and had had to use all his pride to stay on his feet while staggering like a drunk to the other room.

Some of Louis's ire left him though when his lover took the time to retrieve the covers from where they'd been pushed aside during the night and morning, bringing them up to tuck around him. That earned his teddy bear some brownie points, Louis decided as they shared sleepy smiles before Teddy turned and headed for the bathroom.

Once Teddy's naked butt was out of sight Louis closed his eyes again and snuggled under the covers, finding them not nearly as good as Teddy's body, but a reasonable substitute for the moment. He could hear water running and assumed Teddy had decided to shower, thinking absently to himself that he probably needed one badly too. Normally shower sex would be the next thought that came into his head but he had no intention of moving any muscles until he absolutely had to.

Drifting in and out of sleep Louis was startled minutes later when he felt the bedcovers being tugged off him, spurring him to sleepily open his eyes to half mast so that he could glare at the man responsible for uncovering him.

"You'll thank me shortly." Teddy informed him as he crocked a finger. "Now come closer and see what I have for you."

"I've seen what you have for me." Louis muttered back, crossing his arms resolutely as he tried to ignore the fact that Teddy's body was still naked and marked in some interesting places he had very fond memories of. "Been there, gone down on that, have the sore ass to prove it."

Laughing despite the dark look Louis sent his way Teddy just kept grinning. "That you did, and I've already apologized for your ass this morning as you'll recall. And what I have for you now is a bathtub full of hot water, which, if you think about it, is something you do want."

The offer registering Louis didn't hesitate now, getting up on his knees to shuffle over the mattress until he reached Teddy, pleased when he was scooped up into the other man's very capable arms since that meant he wasn't going to have to do any walking just yet. A hot bath sounded like heaven at the moment and he gave Teddy a kiss on the cheek to say so.

"How do you even have the strength to carry me?" Louis wanted to know as he settled his head on Teddy's shoulder, not carrying how girlie he must look, being carried princess style across the room.

"I'm stronger than I look."

Since that did make sense Louis didn't make any comment until they arrived at the tub, eyes narrowing a little when rather than set him in the tub Teddy was stepping into the tub, which to his way of thinking meant that the other man intended to join him in his bath. Not that Teddy hadn't earned a hot soak, he had, but sharing a bath could potentially give the man ideas. "No sex for you for at least another couple hours."

"Understood, though the warning isn't necessary." Teddy informed him with another grin. "I'm pretty much at my limit there for now too."

Maneuvering them both as he eased them down into the water, which wasn't remotely easy, Teddy finally got them both into the tub with Louis's back pressed against his chest so that he could act as a pillow of sorts. Cuddling his favorite blonde against him Teddy leaned his head against Louis's, more than content to stay like that for a long while.

And they'd been soaking for a good twenty minutes in comfortable silence before Louis spoke, inquiring as to what time it was since he hadn't even thought to consult a clock earlier. Normally he was the morning person after all, and Teddy was the wide awake one.

"I would imagine it's a little after eleven by now, best guess."

Absorbing this, Louis's mind was about to shift to what they had in the fridge to eat once their fried brain cells finally clued them into the fact that they needed substance when it occurred to him what day of the week it was.

"Teddy! You're supposed to be at work!"

Wincing a little, Louis's voice had echoed off the tile rather loudly, Teddy's voice was soothing as he informed his lover that he'd taken care of that.

"What do you mean you took care of it? You're here and not there!"

"I mean that I sent a message to my office and to Lucy informing them that I wasn't coming into work today. I'm the boss so I can do that, you know. I'll do some work from here later today, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."

Not buying that for a minute Louis tugged himself free from Teddy's arms so that he could turn around, straddling the other man so that he could look him in the eye. "But you had all that trouble with that embezzling guy and the guarda and reassuring your clients and everything. Not to mention the fact that all your employees must think you're at death's door since two years ago you got really sick and had to be knocked out and carried out of your office by Uncle Harry because you refused to accept that you couldn't work your way through it!"

A frown was Teddy's immediate response to the reminder, that not being one of his favorite work related memories. "I wasn't that bad, everyone overreacted."

The look Louis aimed at him made it clear he wasn't even going to bother to tell him what utter bullshit that was.

Hunching his shoulders under that look Teddy wisely didn't argue, especially since he also recalled clearly the hell he'd gotten from various members of his family who had all stopped by to see him and tell him what an idiot prat he'd been for not going to St. Mungos under his own steam.

"Embezzling guy is in jail, the guarda has all the information they need, and my head people are more than capable of handling any questions they might come up with. I've been in touch with all my major clients to reassure them as to the stability and trustworthiness of my firm and though I did lose accounts as a result I didn't lose the ones that keep my business afloat so I'm fine there. They can get by without me for a day, especially since Lucy or my secretary can get ahold of me if there is an emergency."

"Not that I don't think you need to relax more and have a life outside work, because I do…but why take today off when you don't need to? I mean I can personally attest to how healthy and energetic you are today despite the fact that neither of us got any sleep last late. I'm the one who would need to take the day off if it weren't for the fact that the restaurant is still closed anyway."

Concern came into Teddy's eyes as he stroked a hand down Louis's spine. "I didn't…I didn't really hurt you, did I?" He'd thought Louis was being his usual, drama queen self in order to be pampered for the rest of the day, which he would have done anyway given the night the blonde had gifted him with.

Reacting to the worried look in Teddy's eyes Louis leaned forward and gave the older man a reassuring kiss. "No, I'm okay, though my butt is sore. A lot of it is just my ego. Being worn out at the age of twenty two is more than a little embarrassing." He added with a teasing wink.

Relief crossing his face Teddy returned the kiss, tenderly cupping Louis's face between his hands. And when he pulled away he leaned his forehead against Louis's. "Don't worry, last night broke a number of records for me too. I don't intend to…I haven't taken anyone to bed in a long while and it caught up with me I suppose. We'll keep nights like last night for special occasions when neither of us has to work the next day, promise."

"I don't get that at all. You should have guys beating down your doors with stamina and skills like yours."

Struggling and mostly succeeding to hide his pleasure at Louis's statement Teddy settled for a small, pleased smile. "Thanks. But I'm picky when it comes to the men I sleep with, and as you and others have stated countless times I'm a workaholic with little to no social life."

"Picky, huh?"

"Very picky."

"Hmmm." Pleased by the offhanded compliment Louis smiled back at Teddy, though he hadn't forgotten his earlier, unanswered query. "You still haven't said why you opted to stay home today."

"I should think that's obvious."

Louis gave him a look that said no, it wasn't obvious, and to hurry up and spill before he got annoyed again.

"I wanted to spend our first morning after with you."

Immediately going gooey over the simple, sweet answer, Louis wrapped his arms around Teddy's neck and leaned in to give his man one hell of a thank you kiss for being so adorably cute.

It also turned out that his butt wasn't as out of commission as he'd previously thought.

)

Letting himself into his godbrother's house Albus hung up his coat and then headed for the stairs, noting no changes in the décor which surprised him since his mum had said that Louis had been nagging Teddy about fixing the place up. Louis generally got what he wanted and Teddy was pretty much wrapped around his younger cousin's little finger even if the blonde didn't realize it. Though knowing Louis the man was probably obsessed with redecorating the kitchen and dining room first.

But he hadn't come by the check on the decorating, so Albus pushed those thoughts aside as he turned his attention to finding out what the hell was wrong with his godbrother ASAP.

He'd gotten a message earlier from his mum demanding that he drop by to check on Teddy since apparently his father had failed to do so that morning as promised. Normally he would have assumed she was blowing this all out of proportion but he knew that his godbrother loved Louis with all his heart and therefore if the two really had had a big fight Teddy would be devastated and actually in need of family intervention for once.

The fact that the two had had a fight after Domi had informed them that her brother intended to pursue Teddy made things that much more worrisome.

He hadn't been too worried until he'd gone to Teddy office, only to be informed that his godbrother had taken the day off, which was so not something he would ever willingly do. Teddy was such a workaholic that it wouldn't surprise him if someday, hopefully way, way in the future, the man pulled a Professor Binns when he died and went to work as a ghost.

So he was on a mission to find Teddy and Louis, find out what was going on, and then get them to feed him since he was using his lunch break to check on them.


	18. Worth The Price

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy.

Worth The Price

Turning down the hallway Albus came to a halting stop, his eyes going as huge as they possible could without them actually popping out of his head. Louis and Teddy looked equally stunned to see him suddenly appear in front of them, the three men staring at each other and processing the reactions of the other to figure out that yes, Albus had indeed taken note of Teddy's arm around Louis's waist, the unbuttoned shirts, and the fact that Teddy had bedhead and they both had hickeys.

"Okay…give me a moment to process."

"Al…."

"Just a minute."

And so the two kept quiet, forcing themselves not to squirm or fuss with their appearance as they waited for him to have his moment.

"Okay…I'm good now. I think. Mum sent me to check on you, Teddy. She was worried because she heard you two had had a fight. I see you managed to get over that…thoroughly. So I will go now and send her a message telling her not to worry. And then I will get some lunch to go. Sorry for barging in."

Worried that the shock had fried his brother's brain, Teddy moved forward and grabbed Al's arm to keep him in place. If nothing else he didn't want to risk the younger man tripping on the stairs and breaking his neck in the process. "I think you need to take a few more moments."

"No. No I'm okay. I mean it…it is a little freaky because now I have images of your guys naked in my head, and I really don't want those images in my head because you're my brother and he's my cousin and that…that sounds really wrong and perverted when said out loud, doesn't it? Not that I have a problem with the two of you getting naked of course, I really don't. Live and let live and all that stuff.

It's like that time I walked in on Lily playing tonsil hockey with Flint." Albus explained, knowing mentally that he needed to just shut up but being unable to do so. "That was way worse than this. That was mentally scarring for life. And not just because of what she threatened to do to me if I told James she was dating Flint either, though that was pretty bad too. It also didn't help that I'd just recently finished eating and therefore was in danger of throwing all that up which would have really been disgusting icing on the cake."

Letting go of Albus's wrist Teddy opted to place his hand over the man's mouth instead, ordering his god brother to breathe.

While Albus did that Louis moved closer to stand at Teddy's side again, worry written all over his face. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I hope so."

Albus mumbled against Teddy's hand and then repeated his words when the hand was removed. "I'm fine. I just didn't expect to find you guys this way when I showed up. I thought I was going to have to play referee, so this is actually a much better scenario."

Not at all sure what to say, or how to handle the current situation, Teddy fell back on distracting them both with questions until the shock wore off enough that they were both thinking straighter. "You…you said your mum sent you? You can just send her a message telling her that I'll be dropping by there tonight…to explain things. So you don't have to."

"Which I appreciate, believe me." Shaking his head Albus thanked the powers that be that his father hadn't come into the house looking for the two earlier that morning. The man had seen enough traumatizing things without seeing his godson and nephew getting naked together.

And since he had recovered enough brain cells to be thinking somewhat clearly now, Albus motioned towards Louis's with his thumb. "You might wanna clue his parents in too."

"Also on the agenda."

"Okay. Good." That settled Albus figured his work there was done. Not to mention the fact that he had a whole bunch of people to inform about this and that was going to take awhile. So he announced again that he was going to be on his way since he had yet to eat lunch.

Since the man's eyes were no longer glazed over Teddy and Louis figured it was safe to let Albus navigate stairs, though they offered to feed him before he left.

"Naw, I'm good. You guys keep with the making up and making out thing. I don't want to be a third wheel. Plus I hear Louis is stuffing you full of healthy food, and I've got the urge for something decidedly not. Later!"

Not knowing what else to say they returned the good bye and watched him go, Teddy belatedly calling down the stairs to ask Albus not to tell anyone that he and Louis were a couple until the next day, which would give them time to inform certain people first.

Albus yelled back his agreement, figuring that would give him time to figure out how to break the news to everyone anyway.

)

Once they arrived at the kitchen, which had been their original destination, Louis got out the stuff to throw together some omelets, allowing Teddy to help only because he wanted the man to stay in the room with him so that he could address something his lover had said to Albus before he'd left. "You told Albus that you intend to go to my parents and your godparents' houses tonight and inform them that you and I are now lovers and seeing each other. You weren't serious, right? I mean I know you're pretty old school about a lot of things, but people don't actually go and talk about that sort of thing with the parents of the person they're seeing anymore. Even when those parents are like an aunt and uncle to you." He added, because that only made it weirder in his opinion.

Continuing to chop up the onion he'd been given with careful precision, Teddy didn't beat around the bush. "They're going to be caught in the middle when Victoire finds out about us. Call me crazy, but I think it would be better if they heard it from us as opposed to her."

"Crap…you have a point."

"I have to make sure your mother knows I'm serious or she'll join forces with Victoire, which will effectively mark my death sentences. Victoire I can handle, your mother…no way in hell. She's your sister with her hormones screwed up thanks to menopause. Not to mention she'll see my dating her baby boy as cradle robbing."

Just the thought of his aunt's reactions had Teddy looking down at the knife he held, making a mental note to have the coming discussion with his lover's mother and eldest sister as far away from their kitchens as was possible.

"We're only eight years apart. That's not cradle robbing." And dismissing that part of the discussion Louis zeroed in on what really interested him. "And just how serious are you, exactly?"

Setting aside the knife Teddy turned and reaching out set his hand on the back of Louis's neck, bringing him forward for a slow, deep kiss that had the blonde's toes curling.

When he drew back he smiled, resisting the temptation to do that again since he could now. "Consider all the ramification if we screw this up, then factor in the fact that I consider you worth facing those consequences. That should give you some idea."

"You're really that afraid of what she'll do to you?" Frankly Louis was surprised. Teddy had been raised by Andromeda Tonks after all, and that woman was frankly scarier and more dangerous than Victoire or his Maman. And Teddy had never been the sort to worry overly about Victoire's grudge against him, ignoring it for the most part and taking it when he had to with a maturity that made his sister crazy.

Of course sleeping with him was going to put his sister's grudge against Teddy into a whole new stratosphere.

Yup, Louis had completely missed the big picture, Teddy realized with a sigh, feeling another weight drop onto his shoulders. Not to mention the question of whether to clue the younger man in or not. Though judging by the look he was getting from Louis the blonde had clued in that that hadn't been what he'd been referring to.

"I wasn't talking about Victoire and your mother, or at least not just them. I meant the family in general. You remember how it was when they all thought Victoire and I were a couple thanks to James blabbing about that brief kiss? Remember how long it took me to get it through everyone's head that there was never going to be anything between Victoire and I? Everyone liked the idea of me being an actual part of the family so much that they threw us together every chance they got, pressuring the hell out of us without meaning to, and then getting into arguments as they picked sides when none of that worked. Now imagine what it will be like if our relationship ends badly."

"Oh. Shit."

"Exactly."

He remembered well how it had been in those days, he'd probably been one of the people who'd put pressure on Teddy in his zeal to have the older man become his brother. Wow…thinking about that was a little nauseating now.

But more importantly, Louis reminded himself, was the fact that both Teddy and Victoire had been made miserable by their friends and family who'd all thought to interfere because they thought they knew what was best or because it suited them. And if it had been that bad when the two weren't even going out, how much worse would it be if he and Teddy split up and everyone decided to try and get them back together?

And huh…if?

Not that he went into a relationship planning for it to end of course, but they'd technically only slept together for one night and morning on top of the fact that they both had somewhat crappy dating records. There was also the fact that Teddy was apparently still hung up on someone else, not to mention the strain their relationship was going to go under once their family, particular Victoire, got involved and started adding their two knuts to everything. Throw in the fact that he and Teddy didn't have that much in common when it came to surface characteristics, and this whole thing was pretty much doomed from the start.

You couldn't base a relationship on the best sex of your life even if it ruined you for life.

Yet even as he thought that Louis realized that Teddy must have come to those conclusions already. Probably before they'd even gotten naked together and realized how combustible they were in bed.

And he was still willing to start something between them.

"You're usually way more logical and mature in your thinking than I am."

"I wouldn't argue with that." Teddy agreed, waiting to see where Louis was going with this. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like it either.

"But you still think that I'm worth all the trouble ahead…even though after last night I can personally attest to the fact that you could find someone else annoyingly easy."

"That's what I said." Reaching out Teddy forced himself to ruffle Louis's hair, to take some of the sting out of the next words for both of them. "But that's my choice. If it gets to be too much for you I'll understand. Been there, done that, got the massive migraines like you wouldn't believe."

Having drawn the line so to speak Teddy headed towards the cupboard to get himself a glass, needing his back to Louis for the moment as he asked whether or not the other man would like something to drink too.

Not being a complete idiot Louis got the underlying message, which was that if he backed out for that reason he was implying that he didn't consider Teddy worth the trouble. So okay…he had obviously not thought this thing through beyond the hotness that was Teddy, but he also wasn't the sort who gave up on something he wanted without a damn good reason.

Out of love his family had been messing with his and Teddy's life since birth. And while he didn't have it down to a science, he'd always been able to weather the storms better than most if he did say so himself.

Plus, unlike Teddy, he was more than capable of being rude enough to tell them to mind their own business.

Well…everyone but Gran. And his maman and sisters. But everyone else.

Oh, and he definitely couldn't be rude to Teddy's grandmother, Louis added with a wince. His balls would shrivel up in fear and fall off before the words had finished leaving his lips.

"Louis? Is that a no for the juice?"

Blinking away that nightmarish thought Louis turned his attention back to Teddy. Or to be more accurate, Teddy's back.

Crap.

Calling himself the kind of idiot who wold actually mouth off to Andromeda, Louis walked over and wrapped his arms around Teddy's waist, feeling the man's back muscles contract against him at the action as he rubbed his cheek against Teddy's. And though his knee jerk reaction was to make a joke to lighten the mood, Louis's basic common sense kicked in and kicked that idea out of the picture.

"I can't promise anything, this whole thing has just started and I don't know what's going to happen any more than you do. But whatever happens, it's going to be because it's what best for us, not anyone else. Deal?"

"Deal." Teddy agreed, setting his hands over Louis's.

)

In order to keep abreast of the situation, Louis had announced over lunch that he was going with Teddy on his dealing with the family rounds. If their relationship was going to be laid out that way he was going to be there to do as much damage control as possible. Their first stop was going to be the Potter house, followed by his parents' house, and ending with Victoire's house so that they could save the worst, most potentially dangerous and exhausting visit for last. They weren't going to be dropping in on Andromeda, which had struck him as odd, but for whatever reason Teddy thought it was okay to send her an owl telling her they were dating along with a promise to drop by on Sunday for dinner. Personally he would have thought she'd be numero uno on Teddy's list, but he supposed the older man must know what he was doing in that regard.

So after dinner that night they headed out to the Potter residence, Louis unable to stop himself from repeatedly glancing at Teddy from out of the corner of his eye as they walked down the laneway.

"What?"

"Why aren't you more nervous? I mean yes we're coming here to tell them that we're dating, but by telling them that they'll know you've been interested in guys all this time and never told them. Aren't you worried about how they're going to take that?"

Not about to lie Teddy nodded in agreement. He was a little worried, but not as worried as some might be. Harry and Ginny Potter had been like parents to him, there for most of the major events of his young life, to celebrate the good times and hold onto during the bad. The Potter house had always been his second home, the door always open. He knew that they'd react badly to the news that he'd deliberately been misleading them all these years, but he was also sure that they'd forgive him after being mad at him for a while.

"So you're freaking out inside but you're this cool on the outside? Damn you're good."

Amused Teddy reached out and took Louis's hand for a moment, giving it a squeeze before letting it go again. "I'm not freaking out. I've had years to practice my speech so to speak if I need to."

Wondering if he should take Teddy's hand back into his as a show of support, Louis was still weighing the pros and cons when they arrived at the house, Teddy unlocking the door with his own special key and then heading inside, calling out their presence once they were both inside.

Closing the door Teddy had just hung his coat up beside Louis's when Ginny appeared in the hallway, coming towards them with a pleased smile on their face. "I figured you boys would get here about this time. Come in, come in. Harry's fighting with the stove in the kitchen. Maybe you could get him to stop, Louis. Tell him about accidents involved with stoves and people playing with them like they're toys."

"Uh oh. Uncle Harry! Uncle Harry, what are you doing to the stove?!" Forgetting all about why they'd come Louis hurried towards the kitchen to defend the helpless appliance, Teddy and Ginny following after him with amused looks on their faces.

"Siccing him on me was low." Harry informed his wife when she came back into the room, his nephew in between him and the stove now. "I can fix it, you know."

"No you can't."

"Yes I can. I even did research beforehand and looked at the manual." The fact that so far he couldn't gotten the damn thing to work wasn't the point. And knowing that Teddy was even more independent than he was Harry shot his godson a look that asked for support.

This not being his area of expertise, not even remotely. Teddy shrugged his shoulders. "I'd call in an expert. Remember what happened the last time Granddad tried to fix the plumbing at the Burrow?"

The other three winced.

Studying what he could see of the stove with Louis still in the way, Harry decided that he might as well take a break and then have another go at it after the two boys had left.

That way he'd only have one person telling him to stop fiddling with it instead of three.

"So what brings you boys by?"


	19. Confession Time

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the general plot. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Confession Time

Okay, he'd had it all loosely plotted out thanks to years of mental preparation and conversations in his head to work out just exactly what he would say and how he would say it when the time came. He'd always known the day would come after all, when he would have to tell his godparents and siblings, at the very least, that he was gay and would never marry. His plan had been a flexible one, accounting for multiple scenarios and variances, but it seemed that now that he was at the sticking point…his brain was as blank as a clean slate.

Which was not good, Teddy thought as he struggled to form a thought, not good at all.

"Teddy?" Obviously picking up on the hints of desperation in his godson's eyes, Harry walked over and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You all right?" Generally Teddy wasn't the one coming to them because he'd gotten into some sort of trouble, that was more James and Lily.

"Did something happen?" Ginny wanted to know, equally concerned.

"This is why you freak out beforehand." Louis told Teddy with a shake of his head, torn between sympathy and amusement. When he'd been gearing up to tell his parents about his sexuality he'd spazzed plenty, but when it was time to actually spill he'd held it together like a champ in his humble opinion.

Harry and Ginny both shot their nephew looks that advised him to explain what was going on so that they could either start worrying properly or stop, but he just gave them a look that said Teddy had to do it.

So they turned their full attention back to him, and their gazes had Teddy blurting out an answer.

"Louis and I are dating."

What the hell kind of way was that to start, Teddy mentally berated himself as soon as the words had left his lips, horrified that he'd started with such a-

"Oh, Teddy!" Throwing her arms around him Ginny gave him the biggest, most loving 'mom' hug in her extensive repertoire. "You finally came around! I was hoping Louis would help you! This is wonderful news!"

"Uhm…what?"

While Harry chuckled a little and tousled Teddy's hair affectionately, Ginny continued to hold on to her oldest as she explained. "Of course we knew you weren't straight, you stupid boy. We're your family, we love you. We couldn't figure out why someone as smart as you was so hesitant to come out or accept who you are, it's been driving us crazy for years! And James and Lily give us enough white hairs as it is so really…oh but wait until everyone finds out you're dating!"

Blinking hard as he struggled to understand, Teddy looked in his godfather's direction questioningly, seeking confirmation of the very confusing statements he was trying to process.

Harry just shrugged. "We didn't want to push you on it, that's what most of the books said not to do. Of course some of those books I wanted to burn afterwards, and would have if Hermione wouldn't have somehow sensed I'd done it and hunted me down like a dog. Parenting books are evil no matter what she says."

"What tipped you guys off?" Louis demanded to know, equally surprised. "I had no idea until he all but bashed me upside the head with the truth."

Confusion briefly crossed Harry's face. "I thought you knew before but kept quiet for him. Don't you always say you have excellent gaydar?"

A pout was Louis's response as he grumbled that no system was perfect.

"Well what's important is that -oh…dear…Merlin. Victoire."

Paling visibly at his wife's words as he envisioned what was going to happen when his oldest niece found out about the new couple, Harry looked back and forth between the two men. "You two are either incredibly brave or you've lost your minds."

Even after Louis explained about the deal he'd made with his eldest sister the two continued to look at them with a mixture of horror and pity. As much as they loved their niece, and they did, they had no misconceptions where the woman was concerned. The combination of a Veela and a Weasley's temper in female form was the stuff of nightmares, and never pretty to see.

Understanding completely Teddy informed them that after they left here they were headed for Shell Cottage to inform Louis's parents and make them aware of the storm that would be hitting very soon.

Then they were going to see Victoire.

"Do you want us to come…and maybe get your brothers and Lily to come too as backup?" Harry offered, the idea of being in a part Veela cat fight about as appealing as revisiting memories of his childhood. But for love of Teddy he was willing to put his balls on the line that way, and could only hope he'd be allowed to keep them.

"The more people there, the more furious she'll be."

Okay, Louis was probably right about that. And since he was going to bear the brunt of Victoire's fury, they figured he had the right to make that kind of call.

So while the other three discussed how to go about telling Victoire about her brother's relationship with him Teddy's mind wandered to the fact that his godparents had known all this time that he wasn't straight and hadn't breathed a word. How horrible they must have felt, thinking that maybe he didn't trust them enough, love them enough to come out to them. He must have hurt them, there was no way it could be otherwise.

He felt lower than a rat.

So he interrupted the discussion by grabbing them both, pulling them into a tight group hug as he hung on like he hadn't done since he was a boy waking from a nightmare. "I love you, Guys. So much. I'm sorry. So sorry. I'd never hurt you. I'd sooner-damn but I'm sorry."

Stroking Teddy's back soothingly, as he'd done when his godson was still a boy, Harry's voice neatly cut through the younger man's stammered apologies. "Did you have a good reason to keep quiet that had nothing to do with how you thought we'd react?"

Drawing back Teddy's voice was firm and sure. "I've never doubted that you love me, not once. I had a good reason, and it sort of still applies, but it was never because I thought your love was conditional. I can be dumb, obviously, but never THAT dumb."

"Okay then. Just checking."

"But thank Merlin you finally said something! No more secrets like that, young man, or I'm going to make you eat Al's cooking."

Since his brother couldn't cook a decent meal to save his life Teddy grinned and promised his godmother that he'd be way more upfront and honest about things from now on.

There was only one secret he had left, Teddy thought as he glanced in Louis's direction, and that one he still needed to keep to himself for the time being. But if his godparents questioned him about it he'd tell them the truth…he owed them that.

)

Teddy hadn't let go of his hand since they'd left Shell Cottage, and Louis didn't call attention to that fact as they walked up the empty street that was a few blocks away from Grimmauld Place. The cold chill in the air made him hunch his shoulders a little, but he didn't complain, especially since he'd insisted on joining Teddy for the walk in the first place. After they left his parent's place Teddy had stated that he wanted to walk a bit to clear his head before turning in, and had suggested Louis just apparate himself to the house and he'd be home soon. Yeah, like he'd be that stupid. So he'd insisted on sticking and sticking he would do even if he was freezing his fine ass off.

To take his mind off that fact Louis went back to trying to covertly study Teddy's face, trying to get a gauge on how the older man's mental musing were going. It wasn't easy, especially since the streetlights didn't exactly give off a whole lot of light, but the strain he could just make out around Teddy's eyes said that the mental conversation the man was having with himself wasn't going well.

Which was why they weren't currently being blown up at by his sister at the moment.

Teddy had managed to get through the conversation with his parents well enough, but when his maman had announced that it would be for the best if she told her daughter about the two instead of them doing it themselves…well the fact that Teddy had barely argued with her had made it damn clear that he didn't have it in him for another emotional scene and knew it.

Not that his parents had reacted badly, his own papa hadn't even looked all that surprised for some reason. His maman had been shocked speechless for a while, a startling occurrence that had thrown them all at first, but it had given him and Teddy time to explain things to her, which had made that a lot easier to do. He was also pretty sure that she'd picked up on the emotional strain Teddy was currently under, she'd barely grilled them at all about how serious they were before she'd informed them that they weren't going to be the ones telling Victoire.

She'd said it was because she didn't want to visit them all in St. Mungos, but he was pretty sure a large part of it was because his maman had known that Teddy, at least, wasn't up to it and she'd wanted to spare them.

"You really think it's better that your mother tells her instead of us?"

"Well, Maman had a point, about how it would be better if we weren't there for the initial explosion. At least this way, when she comes hunting for us, maman will be with her to keep her somewhat in line." And hopefully, the worst of his sister's fury would be vocalized before she got to them, Louis silently added.

Slowing down Teddy reached out with his gloved hand to stroke a couple fingers along Louis's cheek. "I'm sorry. I should have made sure you understood what you were getting into before I seduced you. A lot of this is my fault."

"Hey, I did some seducing of my own, thank you very much. And if you want to talk blame you could just as easily drop it on my shoulders for not seeing the consequences before I jumped you. I mean I was plotting on how to get you into bed, even getting Victoire's permission, without really thinking that hard about why I needed to do that. I'm the idiot."

"You're not an idiot."

"Neither are you, so quit trying to take all the blame on your shoulders. You've prematurely aged yourself enough as it is already."

The chuckle was weak, but welcome. "I suppose I do. It comes naturally to me."

Smiling at the sound Louis moved in to steal a kiss, cuddling close when Teddy's arms came around him to hold him close as the snogging continued, comforting them both with the love and warmth they felt for each other. And when the kiss finally ended Louis simply shifted to lay his head on Teddy's broad shoulder, closing his eyes on a sound of contentment.

Keeping one arm around Louis's waist Teddy lifted the other to stroke his fingers through the blonde hair he was becoming addicted to playing with. He wanted to promise that everything would be okay, that he could make everything all right, but he wasn't that stupid. He knew better.

The road to hell was paved with good intentions, and thinking you knew what was best for someone else usually came back to bite you on the ass big time.

Which begged the question of whether he was right to keep his last secret, whether he had the right to make that choice, but he didn't feel up to another confession at this point. And he did still think he was right…but maybe he should get a second opinion on that one. Now that he was coming out to his family there were at least a couple of them he figured could give it to him straight and keep his secret for him if necessary.

Why did life have to be so bloody complicated?

Sighing, Teddy forced himself to loosen his hold. "We should get home before you freeze."

Seeing the sadness that still lingered in his lover's eyes Louis reached out and framed Teddy's tired face between his hands. "Good plan. Though I hope you know, I do expect you to personally undertake the task of getting me warm when we get there."

That had a small but genuine smile teasing Teddy's lips. "I see."

"Less seeing, more walking quickly towards the house, Lupin. ASAP."

"Yes, Sir."

Linking fingers once more they continued on their way at a quicker pace, Teddy was unable not to smile a little when Louis swung their hands merrily between them. He had his Hummingbird, he reminded himself. And he was not going to waste a minute of that fact if he could help it.

)

When the doorbell sounded that morning Louis came out of the kitchen in a hurry, all but running for the door since he wanted to get there before Teddy did. They'd actually locked the house down that night, not wanting to chance his sister letting herself in and catching them unaware. Or any other member of their family for that matter, seeing as they couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other, Louis acknowledged ruefully, not even wanting to think about what Victoire's reaction would be if she stumbled in on them while they were making out or naked together.

Reaching the door Louis opened it, surprised for a moment to find Lucy on the other side before he remembered that Teddy had mentioned she'd be dropping by to pick up some papers. Teddy wasn't going into work again today because he'd wanted the confrontation with Victoire to take place here instead of his office.

While he'd like to believe his sister wouldn't do the latter…better safe than sorry.

Smiling at him Lucy moved in to give her cousin a warm hug hello. "Hey, Handsome."

Returning the hug Louis smiled back at her before letting her go so that he could motion her to come inside. "Hey, back. Sorry to drag you all the way here for the papers. Teddy feels awful about it."

"He would. It's really no big deal." Stepping inside Lucy shrugged off her coat while he closed the door behind her. She wasn't going to ask about the house being locked against family too now, though she was just a little curious as to what excuse they'd decided to use. At the end of the day she figured it was a smart move on their part, since apparently the two men were such rabbits Teddy needed to take two days off in a row instead of just the one.

No wonder her cousin was looking so sleep deprived, Lucy noted with amusement.

Hearing the sound of footsteps on the stairs Lucy automatically turned to look in that direction, her small grin fading away as she got a good look at the man she'd expected to see looking like a cat with a mouthful of canary.

Okay…maybe Louis didn't look like he hadn't gotten any sleep because the two had spent the night shagging each other's brains out. Maybe they'd had a fight or…no…no this wasn't a fight vibe, she realized, taking in the way Teddy came to a stop beside Louis, the blonde edging closer subtly. They wouldn't look so together if they were on the outs and they should still be hip deep in the honeymoon stage of the relationship given it had just started. So it had to be something else.

"Hi, Teddy, I came to get those papers for the presentation you need me to sit in on."

"Yeah, thanks. Seriously, I owe you big time for letting me drop this on you at the last minute. I will repay with flowers and a gift of your choice." Teddy worked up a smile for her, but they both knew she wasn't buying it.

"Dangerous promises to make a girl."

"Especially since Lucy's got great taste in clothes and jewelry." Louis added with a forced wink in her direction, knowing that she'd be picking up the tension weighing on them. A smart girl, his cousin Lucy, but thankfully not the sort to pry.

"I can't hold a candle to you when it comes to fashion, Cous, but I do try."

"The papers are in the office, I'll just go over them with you quick so I don't hold you up too long." And to hopefully make sure that she wasn't there when Victoire came by, Teddy silently added as he motioned for Lucy to follow him further into the house.

Giving her cousin a small wave goodbye Lucy followed Teddy down the hallway and into his office, waiting until they were both inside before she tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around she wrapped her arms around him to give a quick but heartfelt hug. "You look like you're in for a really bad day. Anything I can do besides take this meeting for you?"

Relaxing against her Teddy briefly wished he could sic Lucy on Victoire, the redhead was a lot tougher than most people realized thanks to years of dealing with Molly, but no, he wouldn't do that. He couldn't do that since Victoire would never come around if he didn't deal with her face to face, preferably one on one.

"Thanks, but no, there's nothing else you can do. I've made my bed so to speak, and if I want to lie in it I've got to deal with the consequences."

Lucy studied his face, thought about his word choices and what she knew was going on in his life at present, and put two and two together. "Victoire is going to find out today that you and Louis are a couple, isn't she? You'd tell her before everyone else knowing how she'd take the news. Ouch."

Arms dropping to his sides Teddy stared at her in shock. "What the…does EVERYONE know?"

"That I couldn't say for sure…but if I was putting money on it, I'd bet that more people than you think know about you."


	20. Blurting It Out

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the general plot. Sorry this chapter is so text heavy, btw. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!

Blurting It Out

Louis was debating whether to hang around and wait for Lucy to come back when the doorbell sounded again. Oh crap, Victoire had finally arrived to unleash her wrath upon them all. And Lucy was in the house, he thought with an even bigger wince, knowing that that would only make it that much worse since his sister would hate having an audience even though Lucy wasn't a gossip like her older sister. But he had to get the door now, Louis reminded himself sternly, if for no other reason than Victoire hated to be kept waiting and would be that much more inclined to rip them to shreds if he made her wait on the stoop.

So he hurried to the door and opened it, bracing for impact.

"Hey, Cous."

Blinking in surprise, Louis stared at James with a truly dumbfounded expression on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Wow, nice welcome. It's nice to see you too." Reaching out James deliberately gave the younger man a noogie to wipe the deer in headlights look off the kid's face. "So you gonna let me in? I did drag my fine ass out of bed a lot earlier than I had to just to come here and help back you and Teddy up you know. Al and Lily would have been here too but we decided that Lily would get into a cat fight of epic proportions with Tori and the other one…well he's never really awake at this hour anyway, the sleep-aholic, and even if he was he would hesitate to take your sister out while I won't." Giving his little cousin a sunny smile, not surprised that Louis had turned his attention to trying to finger comb his hair back into place, James moved in to slug an arm over the other man's shoulder. "So I take it she hasn't been here yet, right? You wouldn't look so strung out if she had."

"How do you even know…did your parents ask you to come by?"

"Oh no. I wouldn't know that they even knew about you two if Domi hadn't mentioned that in the message she sent to Lily, Al and I. She got an owl from your mum by the by. So yeah, the three of us got together and I was nominated to be here when the shit hit the fan. Lucky me, huh? But we figured too many people would just make things worse and that this would be a better course of action. You guys have got loads of support though, so you don't have to worry about that if you have been. Where is Teddy anyway? Shouldn't he be answering the door with you just in case?"

"He's in his office talking with Lucy." Louis answered automatically, trying to wrap his mind around everything as James came inside the house, closing and locking the door behind the man automatically. "And by loads of support…how could we have loads already? I mean even if Domi messaged everyone last night you all should still be in the stunned stage, shouldn't you?"

Hell, he still had moments where he couldn't believe he and Teddy had hooked up.

"Oh no, most of us have known for years now." James grinned as he shrugged out of his jacket and hung it off one of the pegs before turning his attention back to Louis. "I mean it was bloody obvious what was going on once we knew to pay attention to the two of you. Personally I hadn't a clue until I overheard Lily and Hugo talking about it one day, she'll tell you that herself when you see her next. She likes to lord it over me that I'd still be in the dark if I hadn't eavesdropped. I think I'd have figured it out eventually, but she's convinced I'm as thickheaded as Uncle Ron when it comes to these things. My response was that no one is that thickheaded, but she disagreed."

"If you all knew he was gay then why the hell didn't you tell him that you knew? You all could have talked him into coming out sooner!" The fact that his cousins had all known before him made Louis really want to start bashing their heads together. And why hadn't they clued him in at the very least? Where was the family solidarity?

Surprise coming into his eyes, James cocked his head to the side in puzzlement. "Well we couldn't tell him, now could we? Not when he was working so bloody hard to keep you in the dark about him being in love with you. If we'd told him that we'd noticed he might have started to second guess himself even more than he already was and stopped coming to family stuff all together. We didn't want that, obviously."

Not recognizing the stunned silence for what it was James continued commenting about how tough it had been for them all to keep from interfering, especially when they'd all come up with some really excellent plans to get the two together. "Took you two long enough, but better late than never. Because boy are we all fucking glad he finally confessed that he's been head over heels for you for years and that you two are a couple now. I mean damn, watching him suffer in silence while you were totally oblivious was painful and I don't know how long we could have kept our mouths shut about it. Uhm….Louis…why are you looking at me like that? Louis?"

Moving to stand in front of the younger man James experimentally waved a hand in front of Louis's face, a little concerned about the man's lack of reaction. Had fear of his sister's wrath put the poor bloke in some sort of protective coma?

Enough time had passed that James was just about to go get help when Louis yelled Teddy's full name so loud that James literally jumped over a foot in the air in surprise. And then the blonde was shoving James out of his way and storming in the direction of Teddy's office, his cousin scrambling to catch up.

They met up with Teddy and Lucy in the hallway, the two coming at a run in reaction to Louis's roared summoning.

Marching over to Teddy Louis all but skewered the man's chest with his pointer finger. "I'M THE REASON YOU WERE IN THE CLOSET?! WHAT THE HELL?!"

Stunned silence was his answer.

"Oh shit. You didn't tell him that part."

"Oh, James." Shaking her head in the man's direction Lucy would have whacked him upside the head if he were closer. "Now you've done it."

"Teddy."

Reacting instinctively to the blonde's tone of voice, Teddy hunched his shoulders even as he forced himself to meet Louis's penetrating stare. "What exactly did James say to you?" He didn't look at his godbrother, though boy did he want to.

Two more solid finger pokes for emphasis followed as Louis repeated what James had said nearly word for word, the younger man's anger and confusion coloring every spoken syllable.

"Ah. I'm surprised you figured all that-wait…how many of you all are in the know here?" Teddy demanded to know, since Lucy hadn't known for sure. He was genuinely curious after all, plus it would give him a little more time to figure out how to explain this last secret to Louis without blowing it.

Wanting to help Teddy out Lucy admitted that she was curious too.

Seeing a chance to save himself a little James began to tick the people off on his fingers. "Well starting from the top we're pretty sure that Granddad suspects you're gay and Gran is in the dark so far as we know. Before you clued them in Louis's mum and Victoire were completely in the dark, we think Uncle Bill suspected the gay part, and Domi knew everything. Uncle Charlie, who can say really? Even if he does know he'd probably think it was none of his business. Everyone but Lucy in her family is in the dark as far as we know, we didn't include you in our club thing, Lucy, because you're closest to him after me and my sibs and we didn't know how you'd react. After that we think Aunt Angelina is the only one of her bunch that knows, and everyone in Uncle Ron's family knows that you're gay, though he and Aunt Hermione don't know the love thing since we figured they'd have told mum and dad if they knew. Naturally Uncle Ron wouldn't have even known about the gay thing if he hadn't been clued in by Aunt Hermione and Dad. And we all know in our family of course, though we don't know if the parents knew about the love thing before last night. That everyone?"

"AND WHY THE HELL WAS I NOT CLUED IN?!"

)

Reading the situation correctly, or at least hoping she was, Lucy slid past the two lovers and got a firm grip on James's upper arm. "James and I are going to go sit on the stairs and guard the house so to speak until Victoire either comes or you guys give the okay for us to leave. While we're doing that you two should go back to Teddy's office and discuss this in private like calm, rational, not screaming adults." And not waiting for confirmation Lucy started herding James back the way they'd come, the man not putting up much of a fight since he knew better than to try.

Both knowing that Lucy was right too Louis and Teddy wordlessly headed for the latter's office, Teddy closing the door firmly behind them once they'd arrived at their destination. And reading the situation correctly Teddy held up his hands as soon as he'd turned around to face Louis in a weary, pacifying manner that cut off the blonde's next rant. "Will you let me explain first, or would you prefer to get your yelling out of the way?" Louis hadn't cut and run, Teddy kept reminding himself as the other man thought that one over. The man cared enough to stay, so maybe there was still a chance if he was upfront and honest about his motives. Please Merlin let him be allowed to explain.

"Talk."

"Thank you." Taking a steadying breath Teddy sent out a mental prayer and then began. "Do you remember how Victoire and I got along before things went bad?"

Surprised at the question Louis answered automatically, having thought about the past enough not to have to think about it too hard. "I was still pretty young, but I remember you guys getting along really well. Being close."

"Like siblings, cousins, close friends. And we were. I loved her in that way. That that was all I could feel for Victoire destroyed that. Destroyed what we had. We're like a divorced couple who drifted apart now, with just enough memories of the good times not to hate each other. But we're so strained and unhappy in the other's company that we don't only hurt each other, but everyone around us who loves us too. And we did, hurt everyone, making them feel they needed to pick sides or place blame, or just feel caught in the middle. There wasn't anyone to blame really, she no more chose to love me than I could choose whether to return that love or not. I couldn't love her the way she wanted me to love her. The way everyone wanted me to love her."

"What's this got to do with anything?" Louis interrupted, his hands fisted at his side.

"Everything." Was Teddy's simple response. "I didn't choose to fall in love with you. In fact, had my heart asked my brain what I thought of the idea it would have screamed 'HELL NO' as loud as it could. But that's not how it works. It's the situation between Tori and me all over again, only I'm the one in love and you're the one…you're the one in my shoes. That's why, even after I came to terms with my sexuality, I kept quiet about it and how I felt about you. Because I knew that as the only two gay men in our family…if nothing else the possibility of us as a couple would intrigue them enough that they'd pay attention…pay attention and realize that you're the love of my life. That you're the only one for me and they'd try to bring us together and…I can't lose you too. I can't survive that."

Louis was moving before he realized his brain had ordered his legs to do so, catching himself just as he came within a foot of Teddy. This close he could see the pain and sadness that had drenched the man's words written all over his face, the tenseness of the other man's body and the strain mercilessly carving itself into Teddy's face. And while his every instinct screamed for him to enfold Teddy into his arms and hold on Louis reined himself in, knowing he had to know all of it before he did anything else. There could be no more secrets and he said so.

Aching to reach out, Louis was so close, Teddy forced himself to continue. "I'm not your type, not the dream man you would describe to people or the sort you'd bring around to family things. I accepted that I'm just too old for you, physically, and even more so emotionally. That I'm not what…I can no more change who I am than I can how I feel about you. If you knew you would have tried for me, you would have let them talk you into going out with me and doing the dance and…and I couldn't have borne that. It would have wrecked, or at least damaged things between us, and better I was your friend, your cousin and old babysitter than the guy you were forced to go out with out of pity and family pressure."

"Then why sleep with me now? Why let me know you were gay?"

"You didn't give me a choice. I knew I'd dug my grave as soon as I agreed to let you stay here…but I've never been good at denying you anything. Especially when the thought of having you all to myself for a little while…I'm only human, and a selfish one where you're concerned. I mean I tell myself everything is to protect you from ending up hurt like me…but it's mostly about me. Me wanting to protect myself and that's…I'm sorry, so sorry, Louis."

"You're stupid. Unbelievably stupid. An idiot to a degree that would make a troll look intelligent, Teddy Remus Lupin!"

And saying so Louis took the step necessary and wrapped his arms around Teddy's waist, feeling the shudder that ran up the length of the other man's body before Teddy's arms closed around him like banded steel. Rocking their bodies slightly Louis ran his hands up and down his lover's back, feeling the muscles twitch and jerk under his fingers at his touch. He didn't say anything though, waiting until most of the tension had left Teddy's body before he spoke again.

"Dumb as a post, you are. But that's only fair I guess, seeing as I am too apparently. For not seeing either. I can't believe everyone knew before I did. But you're dumber, let's get that straight."

"I'm not going to argue." His voice was rough with emotion, Teddy unable to move his face from the side of Louis's neck because he needed the familiar scents of the man's hair and skin.

Keeping one arm where it was Louis lifted the other so that he could stroke Teddy's hair while he scowled the man. "Good. And you know I'm going to make you suffer for making me think I had competition when I didn't. Sending me on some wild goose chase. Oh yes, you are going to pay for that."

Teddy's lips twitched in amusement for a moment before he sighed. "I thought you'd figure it out on your own when Ian gave you that bird hint. That it was you I was talking about."

"Wait…what….that was ME you and Lucy were talking about? The flighty, boy-toy loving, immature…YOU MEANT ME?" Insult was ripe in Louis's voice, though confusion quickly followed since his name wasn't remotely bird related. "My name means 'famous warrior'. There are no Louis birds. Or are there?" He'd never heard of one, but birds weren't exactly his thing.

Pulling away slightly Teddy nuzzled their cheeks together while he murmured softly that Louis was forgetting that he had a personal name for him that only he used.

"Hummingbird."

"Hummingbird." Teddy agreed softly, lifting his head so that he could press his lips against Louis's in a gesture that conveyed without words all the feelings he had for the man he held so tightly in his arms. Loved so much. "My hummingbird."


	21. Showdown at Grimmauld Place

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the plot. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it.

Showdown at Grimmauld Place

They were still holding each other when they heard James call out to them at the top of his lungs that Victoire was coming. Naturally they appreciated the warning, though the sound of her very thin, no doubt very high heels echoed off the hardwood floors in warning too. The better to emasculate them with, they both thought but didn't say to try and spare the other the mental images. And not wanting to provoke her any more than they already had the two separated, though they linked their fingers together and stood shoulder to shoulder to face her.

When the door opened they weren't surprised to see that she was so obviously a woman on a mission, but they were surprised to see who came into the room right after her.

It was generally well known in the Wizarding World that Veelas and their mixed blood descendants were very careful when it came to who they married. They weren't so vain that they weren't aware of the fact that they were living definitions of high maintenance, and thus required a firm hand at time because they had no respect for any man who'd let them walk all over them, powers or not. They were also well aware of the fact that any man involved with them had to deal with the fact that other men, including said lover's family, friends and complete strangers, would be dazzled and lust after the female in question whether they were genuinely interested or not. A woman of Veela blood would always draw lust in men and jealous envy in women, that was simply how it was and there was nothing she could do about it. Their lives were often overly dramatic and eventful, and because of this the men they eventually settled on tended to vary when it came to looks, social status and intelligence, but almost all possessed an easygoing nature that hid a spine of goblin made steel.

Jacob Hawkins was no exception to the rule, the man friendly and calm in the face of the drama that his wife caused intentionally or not. He was well liked in his wife's family and everyone considered him a good influence on Victoire.

It was obvious from the way Victoire kept glancing at her husband out of the corner of her eye as they moved closer that he was the reason she wasn't ranting and raving already, his presence throwing her completely off her game since she was used to reining in her worst drama queen tendencies around him.

Lucy and James brought up the rear, staying back when Teddy gave them a look that told them to do so.

"Good morning, Teddy, Louis." Jacob's voice was a little off, but his face revealed nothing. "Sorry to barge in on you. You know Victoire."

Fuming, Victoire only just managed to stop herself from stomping her foot. "I didn't ask you to come."

"No, I invited myself. I wanted to congratulate the two on getting together. It took them long enough after all."

Immediately all eyes went to Jacob as they realized that the man had basically just admitted to the fact that he too had been well aware of the situation between Teddy and Louis and had, like so many of the others, chosen to keep the knowledge to himself.

"YOU KNEW AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"

"You've hurt Teddy enough with your selfish behavior without me letting you use your brother as a weapon against him on top of that."

No one had ever seen Victoire's jaw drop so far before, the blonde choking on her fury literally as she sputtered and glared daggers at her husband.

Not worried, she'd attack with words instead of spells, Jacob instead informed her that she needed to get herself under control and say what she'd come to say so that he knew whether or not he needed to get in touch with their lawyer later on in the day.

"Why would you need to talk to a lawyer?" James wanted to know, his curiosity overriding his survival instincts. He was willing to risk Victoire's wrath to have it appeased.

Jacob shrugged his shoulders. "Because if she's going to stand here and tell these two that they can't be together because of her feelings than obviously I made a monumental mistake in marrying her. I have no wish to be stuck with a woman who's still pining after someone she never had in the first place, or one who's so selfish she would ruin the happiness of her brother and honorary cousin just because she can't get past the idea that she can't have everything she wants." Jacob's eyes flickered over to meet Victoire's shocked gaze. "I didn't know you when it all happened, so I don't know just how much you did or didn't love Teddy then, but either way it's nothing but bitterness and pique you feel now, that you hold onto so stubbornly instead of just letting it go. When you really love someone, Victoire, THEIR happiness is what matters, not just yours. And breaking these two up or making them feel like crap won't make you happy either, FYI."

"You'd divorce me?!"

No one was really surprised that that was the part of the speech Victoire would latch on, they were just surprised she'd let Jacob say the rest of it before speaking.

"Wouldn't you divorce me, if I was so obsessed with a girl I'd hurt people I love, including you, just to hurt her?"

Not being an idiot, though she was beginning to feel like one, Victoire's voice was actually a little subdued when she asked if she'd been hurting him by getting so upset about Teddy and Louis.

The look he aimed in her direction said it all.

All the nasty, mentally scarring words and images she'd meant to rake across their brains with every vicious swipe of her tongue burned in Victoire's throat, she wanted to let loose so badly she could taste their acidity on her tongue. But she…she loved Jacob. She loved him with all her heart. Life without him would be unbearable, and…and when he used that tone of voice he meant what he said. And as much as she didn't like the idea of the two together…she didn't want to be the kind of person who hurt her loved ones when she didn't have to either.

Sensing the internal struggle going on in her cousin's head, and knowing the way the blonde's mind operated, Lucy silently made her way over to the older woman's side and leaning in whispered something that only the two of them could hear.

"Now that he'll be out as gay everyone will know that that's why he wasn't interested in you. Your record of getting every straight man you've ever been interested in will once again be intact."

Huh, Lucy did have a point there. That did make her feel a tiny bit better, Victoire acknowledged, though it reminded her, unfortunately, of the fact that Teddy had told her years ago that he was gay. She'd brushed that excuse aside and had called the man a liar, assuming that it had been his way of trying to quell her wrath at the time. But not appeased quite yet Victoire demanded to know why Teddy hadn't come out sooner so that she would have known he was gay all these years and not misunderstood things.

So once again Teddy had to explain his motives for his decision to remain in the closet to his family, accepting the verbal abuse from her when she told him what an incredibly stupid plan that had been and that she should kick his ass for thinking of it, much less actually carrying it out.

No one missed the faint hint of guilt in her voice though, the woman obviously cluing into the fact that she'd done more damage than she'd ever really wanted to do by seeing to it that Teddy felt as miserable as she had been when he'd dumped her flat out without any thought to her feelings. The truth of the matter was that she lashed out these days more out of habit than anything else, the pain he'd caused her teenage heart having healed in Jacob's loving hands years ago.

She was also getting the fact that she was the villain in this drama, and while that was better than appearing pathetic and weak…she didn't want to hurt people who didn't deserve it…especially when one of two was her baby brother.

And that thought led to a few others so that when she met Teddy's gaze her eyes were more knowing than angry. "You know you have your work cut out for you, right? He's never dated a real man before."

While Louis sputtered over the insult Teddy held her gaze and nodded.

Not liking what she saw in his eyes, especially since if they were going to ignore her thoughts and feelings on the matter they had to make this thing between them work, Victoire marched over and before anyone could stop her whacked Teddy hard upside the head.

"Don't think like that, Stupid!" Eyes flashing once more Victoire's hands went automatically to her hips. "If he has your heart than you are damn well going to fight to keep him with every bone in your Black body. You can't think for one bloody minute that you'll fail because as soon as you start thinking like that you've already lost. For Merlin's sake, he's a bit immature, but he's not an idiot! If you don't think that you're good enough for him than he'll start to believe it too. Aside from your horrible, terrible, worse than Voldemort's understanding and treatment of young girl's hearts…you're a damn good man. Good enough that I'll let you date my little brother so long as you swear to me here and now that you'll remember that you're a part of the Weasley family, which means we fight, and we plot, and we damn well love with everything we have until the day they put us in the ground. And really, you're one quarter Black. This should come naturally to you!"

Rubbing the back of his head since he knew it would please her Teddy smiled a little. "I guess I just needed a friend to knock a little more sense into me."

Her lips twitched a little. "Well any time you need someone to do it, I volunteer."

"Thanks."

Behind them James started whistling the Muggle tune 'We Are Family', which both broke the mood and made it that much better so that everyone smiled a little as they shook their head over the redhead's sense of humor.

)

After their very drama filled morning Louis and Lucy managed to convince Teddy to take the rest of the day off too. He wisely let them have their way, knowing that Lucy really was capable of running things without him. Besides that he hadn't gone to talk things over with his grandmother face to face and this was as good a time as any since he'd have to use most of the weekend to catch up on all the work he'd been neglecting. So once things had been straightened enough that no one wanted to kill or maim someone Teddy and Louis saw their relatives out before closing the door with relieved sighs.

"Okay, what's something Jacob really wants or needs?" Teddy asked, looking over at Louis questioningly. "I owe that man big." If it weren't for the fact that it would have caused an explosion of epic proportions he'd have kissed the man earlier in gratitude.

"Nothing's coming to mind-so I say we pool our money together and send him and Tori away on a romantic weekend. Then we're not only thanking him but bribing her at the same time. Win win situation for us."

"Excellent idea."

Running a hand through his hair Louis changed the subject as he asked if they really were going to go visit Andromeda or if that had just been a way to clear the place faster. Because after facing his sister he really wasn't in the mood to hear what the older woman would do to him if he were to break her reason for living's heart.

Lips twitching in amusement Teddy thought about pointing out that his grandmother would have been insulted if she'd heard what Louis had just said. She preferred to believe that with her reputation and heritage she didn't have to threaten people verbally anymore, it was simply understood what a threat she posed. But since he wasn't sure Louis would find the statement funny he instead told the other man that he didn't need to come if he didn't want to. He was fine with going to see his grandmother by himself while Louis did something he'd actually enjoy like rearranging the kitchen again.

He was weak enough to admit the idea was tempting, but Louis forced himself to pass the excuse up. "No, if you're going to see her about our relationship I should be there too. If I don't come she'll see it as a sign of weakness and then she'll be the one to worry about."

His grandmother did tend to pounce on weaknesses when she saw them. It was the Black in her, she couldn't help it. "Okay. And on the A side, by going now we'll probably miss the first wave of relatives dropping by either to freak out over the fact that we're together or freak out that they were in the dark in the first place."

"Yeah, Roxie and Fred will probably use stuff from the store on us for daring to keep them in the dark."

"And then there's the matriarch of the Weasley clan to deal with."

Neither man was remotely looking forward to what Molly Weasley would have in store for them once she found out what had been going on beneath her nose. Not to mention that the granddaughter who'd inherited her name was sure to flip out on them too, Lucy's sister the sort who took it personally if you didn't keep her abreast of every juicy aspect of your life.

Huh, not being home for a while was suddenly looking really, really good to them.

And thus, in a very short period of time, the two were on their way to Andromeda's house, apparating to a clearing a short distance from her home so that they could enjoy the weather a little and pick some flowers along the way to join the biscuits Louis had decided they needed to bring along as a bribe.

Smiling when Teddy tucked a daisy behind his ear Louis cocked his head to the side, having no idea how adorable he looked to the other man as he pointed out that the flower he was now wearing would do nothing to assure Andromeda that he was mature enough to be in a serious relationship with her grandson.

Yeah, he'd figured his hummingbird would still be smarting from the immature comments Victoire had made earlier. "If she had a problem with my feelings for you she would have said something by now."

If someone were taking bets he'd lay odds that Teddy hadn't discussed his feelings with his grandmother, but yeah, if Albus had clued into Teddy's feelings for him without being told than someone as sharp as Andromeda had probably known before anyone else had. Of course she might not have said anything until now because she hadn't thought it was necessary too.

Amusement came into Teddy's eyes as he informed Louis that his grandmother wouldn't bite. That was his job after all.

"Ha ha."

"She won't have a problem with the age difference, look at my parents."

That was a good point, Louis thought, perking up at the reminder. And he wasn't a werewolf or unemployed, so that had to earn him brownie points with her too. Plus Teddy was incredibly stubborn, and Andromeda was always saying he got it from his mother. So if Teddy's mum had been able to get her way in the end than why shouldn't Teddy too?

Still… "Your dad had a problem with the age difference, didn't he? Do you?" Because if Teddy was uneasy about that then Andromeda would pick up on it, no question. And okay, he wanted to make sure the man was finally getting it through his thick Black skull that he wasn't nearly as immature as his older relatives seemed to think he was.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish we were closer in age, but it's not as big a deal for me as it would be for others seeing as I have a major advantage over them."

"What's that?"

"I'm a Metamorphmagi." Teddy pointed out with a careless shrug. "I can control my aging process. That means that with very little effort I can look as young as you'd prefer me to be. I don't mind changing my appearance for you."

An immediate scowl greeted that statement, Louis poking Teddy hard in the chest. "Keep talking like that and I'll take a page out of Victoire's book and start whacking you upside the head constantly. I love how you look now and I'll think you're just as hot when your hair is more silver than brown. Got it?" Framing Teddy's face between his hands Louis wore an expression that promised dire consequences if the man didn't take his words to heart.

Placing his hands over Louis's Teddy kept them where they were as he nodded. "Understood."

"Good. I love you just the way you are." Louis informed him, the words coming out as easily as normal, but carrying a flavor, a meaning that was somehow new and so much more than before. A meaning that spoke of a different kind of love, one that could, given time and care, be as strong and deep as the love Teddy bore for him.

And hearing the change, his heart clenching painfully as he swallowed hard, Teddy's eyes swam with emotion as he asked Louis to repeat what he'd just said.

Aware on some level of the change, but not quite there yet, Louis didn't understand why he needed to repeat the words, but did so anyway because he did like saying it and seeing Teddy's reaction.

Grinning Teddy dropped his hands to Louis's waist and lifting the surprised blonde up spun them around in a circle before he kissed his man with all the love in his heart, unable to recall ever being so happy as he was in that moment.

He was going to get to keep his hummingbird after all. He just knew it.


	22. Equal Partners

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy this last chapter. Thanks for sticking with it till the end!

Equal Partners

_A Year and a Bit Later_

Lifting his free hand up Louis adjusted his scarf so that it better covered his eyes, smiling as he did so because he found it terribly ironic that Teddy had decided to use one of his own accessories against him. Not that he couldn't remove the blindfold of course, obviously he could since Teddy's hand only held one of his hostage, but that would ruin the other man's surprise and he definitely wasn't doing that. He was pretty sure that he was finally going to get a look at what Teddy had been so wired about recently and there was no way he was missing out on that. He'd been trying for weeks now to figure out what his lover was up to and had thrown himself wholeheartedly into seducing the information out of him.

His undeniable talents in that area had netted him some information, but not nearly enough to satisfy him.

They were still outside, he could feel the warmth of the sun on them and hear the sounds of foot traffic, but there weren't a lot of people around them since they'd only been stopped five times now to be questioned as to just why he was blindfolded and being led around by Teddy. A surprise was all the answer Teddy would give them, but they weren't questioned seriously since they were part of the Weasley family and therefore automatically seen as both stubborn and slightly bent.

"You know, we could have avoided these people and the blindfold if you'd just apparated us to wherever it is we're going."

Teddy's voice was a mixture of excitement and amusement when he pointed out that Louis had never objected to being blindfolded before.

Shuddering automatically at that Louis's smile curved into a full fledged grin as he asked if that would be a part of whatever Teddy had planned for them once they finally got to their destination.

"That could be arranged." A Christening of sorts, the older man thought with a grin of his own. "And we're almost there."

Pleased to hear that Louis decided to concentrate instead on swinging the hand that was holding him, enjoying the fact that Teddy's hand was his to hold, especially in public. When they'd first come out as a couple, after the Great Family Implosion of last year, Teddy had been really shy about public displays of affection, the Black in him no doubt. He'd gotten the man used to holding his hand again, though they were still working on Teddy letting him snog his brains out while they were out and about. The foolish man seemed to think that was something that should be reserved for indoors.

When they came to a stop Louis cooperated when Teddy asked for his hand back for a moment, his straining ears catching the sound of a key going into an old lock, a door being opened and Teddy gone for a minute or two before the other man was back and taking his hand, leading him into a building of some sort.

Gently kicking the door closed behind them, Teddy led Louis to the middle of the front room. He felt like a billion butterflies had just erupted in his stomach but he had had weeks to plan and prepare for this and damn if he was going to go through another week of Louis trying to seduce his secrets out of him. He wouldn't survive without spilling his guts.

So after taking a deep, calming breath Teddy reached out and untied the scarf he'd borrowed from their closet, stepping back a little as his hands dropped back to his sides with the scarf in one of them. "Surprise."

Blinking at the sudden return of his eyesight Louis's eyes focused on Teddy's face for a moment before he slowly turned his head to glance in one direction and then the other, his brain trying to understand what he was being shown.

That someone had put a lot of time and effort into restoring this building was his first thought, Louis's discerning eye admiring the glow of well polished and cared for hardwood floors, the intricately fashioned copper chandeliers that provided the light, and the truly amazing and huge fireplace he could see off to the one-the fireplace.

Walking over to it Louis ran his hands over the mosaic of blue and green tiles, the artist who'd created it making it seem like you were looking at the sea, like it was as deep and changing as the real thing. It seemed to move before his eyes, and if there had been a fire in the hearth Louis could only imagine the brilliance and beauty of it.

He'd heard of a fireplace like this before, knew of the restaurant that had once housed it.

)

The Singing Heart had been THE restaurant back when their grandparents had been growing up. Known throughout the Wizarding World for its beauty, innovation, and superior food, the crème de la crème of their world had flocked here in droves, reservations all but impossible to get. Gran and Granddad had told him many stories about this place, most notably that this was where the two had become engaged. Granddad had been good friend with the owner's grandson, which was how they'd gotten in, and in honor of the occasion they'd been given one of the best seats in the house, to the right of the fireplace.

With his heart in his throat Louis walked over to the spot where the table must have been, sniffling a little as he thought of what this small piece of his family's history represented. This was where Molly Prewett had agreed to marry Arthur Weasley after the man blurted out the question before their drinks had even arrived, the pressure too much for him to handle.

Unaware that his eyes were watering up until Teddy was gently wiping his eyes with his handkerchief Louis met the other man's soft gaze, letting his love tend to him before he wrapped his arms around Teddy's waist. Leaning forward so that their foreheads were touching Louis closed his eyes on a sound of contentment. "You fixed 'The Singing Heart'."

The restaurant had not survived the first war, the owners' refusal to serve or support Voldemort and his people their death warrant. There had been significant damage done to the restaurant too, it not enough simply to end the lives of the family who'd been pouring their hearts and souls into the place for generations. The nearly gutted place had been left standing as a symbol and reminder, the fireplace becoming legendary because it alone had somehow survived the destruction of its home intact.

"It took some doing to get Brewberry to sell it to me, but your food swayed him in the end."

"My food?"

"I was far from the first to approach him about buying this building, there have been plenty of people who wanted to use the history of the place to their advantage. Some of them probably wanted to pay homage to it too, but Brewberry felt like he owed it to the family that he lost to only sell to someone he knew they'd approve of. Who would love it the way they had." Teddy's lips curved naturally. "He didn't want to sell it to me because not only did I fail the cooking and restaurant questionnaire he'd created long ago for all potential buyers, but I didn't have the right kind of hands."

"The right kind of hands?" Louis asked, confusion and shock making his brain feel incredibly slow and fuzzy. Cause there was nothing wrong with Teddy's hands, Teddy's hand were friggin amazing.

"They're not chef hands." Teddy explained, stroking them up and down Louis's back. "Even when I explained that I wouldn't be the one running or cooking in the place he wouldn't budge. Not even the fact that I'm the Chosen One's godson swayed him, and that was a complete first even though I'll admit that that was the first time I actually played that card, I was so desperate to convince him. Finally I hit on the idea to start bringing him stuff that you'd made at home or while you were working, smuggling the dishes to him as bribes. That finally did the trick, at least enough that he asked a couple ghost ancestors of his to shadow you secretly to make sure you really were as great as I said you were. They concurred and gave their blessing, apparently."

Drawing back a little Louis stared at Teddy in shock, the man's words only now registering. "You…for me…this…?"

Misinterpreting the look he was getting Teddy paled just a little as hurried to explain his actions before he blew this.

"I know you always intended to buy your own place, that you didn't want to rent a building because you didn't want to deal with a landlord or have to worry about being kicked out before you had the money to buy it. You wanted your restaurant to be one hundred percent yours, paid with money you earned, and I get that. But I also remember how much you loved to hear Gran tell the story of Granddad proposing here, how disappointed you were that it wasn't still around and that you couldn't even look through the windows because they were boarded up." Deep breath. "You always said that when you had a restaurant of your own it would be just as good as 'The Singing Heart', you even considered naming yours something similar to honor it, for a while. This place, Louis…it needs you as much as you need it. I'm not giving it to you, and it's not mine to keep. I have a contract that states I only own it until you have enough money to buy it from me. You can even pay me more than I paid if you want. I know I overstepped myself here…but I knew in my bones that this was meant to be yours. It's been empty long enough."

He knew that he should be talking, that there was a lot he needed to say and express, but Louis just couldn't for the life of him get past the fact that Teddy had up and bought this building for him. It wasn't in his nature to be speechless, but he just didn't…

"I just had it cleaned up, nothing else. The actual kitchen area looks pretty damn crappy but I figured that given the amount of times you've rearranged our kitchen for no apparent reason I shouldn't even attempt to touch back there. Or hire someone to. Especially since a lot of its probably out of date and-please say something. You're really freaking me out with the not talking. You always have something to say."

"Just…just give me a minute."

)

Stepping away slightly, Louis took Teddy's hand again so that his lover would know it wasn't meant as a rejection before turning his attention to scanning the building once more, his mind altering and changing what he saw into what could be. What it would be if he were to someday call it his own. The tables placed for optimum flow and position, decked out in blue tablecloths-no, blue and green tablecloths of various shades, no one the same, like the fireplace. Each table would be named after the color it was decked out in except for one, the table he'd place to the right of the fireplace in honor of his grandparents. That would be the lovers' table, the setting reserved for the most romantic of evenings. Maybe they'd even keep a wall hanging of sorts beside it, where couples who'd celebrated their relationship at that table could sign as a lasting testament to their bond with the place. And it wouldn't do to go overboard with the blue and green color scheme either, that would just be too unoriginal and unimaginative, but there would be touches of the colors throughout, Louis decided, paired up with the blinding white of china and the warm copper of the chandeliers that cast their warmth above them now.

The glow of candlelight, the scents of delicious food in the air, and the sounds of voices from all over the world, wizards and witches who'd heard that this was the best place to eat and were more than willing to pay whatever he chose to charge for even the smallest of portions.

And there'd be familiar voices too; faces Louis knew as well as he knew his own. It took little imagination of his part to see his grandparents sitting at their table, sharing a dessert and completely unaware of everyone else around them for the moment. Over in the corner Hugo was proving once again that he was a bottomless pit whose stomach could never really be filled, his sister watching with fondness while Sev and Alexei's expressions were a combination of disbelief and morbid amusement. Cousins in desperate need of some adult time after a long day with the kids, sisters making the men in the room go slack jawed with admiration until his maman passed by, finishing them off…and Teddy…waiting for him at the table to the right of the fireplace this time, content to steal a couple moments with him when he had the chance to put up his feet with the man who would move heaven and earth for him if he asked him to.

Who loved him more than anyone or anything in the world.

Looking down at their joined hands as the imagined world faded away and the reality set in, Louis knew that the hand he held would always be there for him to take in his. To lead him when he needed guidance, or to help him pull Teddy into whatever fun activity he thought they just had to try together. To comfort the other when they were sad or needed to be reminded that they were never alone, or to show anyone who saw them that they were together and belonged together. To join their bodies, even if it was just their fingers laced together.

Bringing their hands up Louis kissed the back of Teddy's. "I'll pay you half of what you paid and it will be our restaurant."

Teddy's confusion was written all over his face. "But I don't know anything about the business…and you always said you wanted to go it alone, that that's why you wouldn't let any of us help you out with a loan."

Louis laughed, the idea of Teddy even trying to work in the restaurant industry absolutely hilarious to him. Not that there wasn't certain parts of it that the other man would excel at, because there were, but by and large Teddy would be as out to sea as he would if he was suddenly asked to come work in Teddy's office in some capacity.

"That's not what I meant. I mean you doing the books or helping me find someone to do them would be great, especially once I get really busy, but what I meant was…" How should he put this? "Businesses flourish when the people who run them, work there, love what they're doing with all their heart and soul. When they put everything they have into being the best that they can be. I'm…I'm going to put everything I am into this place…and…and I want it to be partly yours so that you know, always, that I'm yours too."

"Louis…"

Pulling on Teddy's hand Louis moved them back to their earlier spot by the fireplace, the blonde maintaining his hold on Teddy's hand as he dropped down on one knee.

"I'm probably not going to do this well, I always figured I'd be the one on the receiving end and that everything would be perfect like something out of those silly romance novels girls seem to love so much. I don't have a ring either, which is also wrong, but I'll get one and I'm asking you here and now anyway. Because we aren't perfect, no one is, but you and me…we're absolutely right.

Teddy Remus Lupin…would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"

Dropping down to his knees and not even feeling the sting when they hit the hard floor, Teddy reached out with his other hand, cupping Louis's cheek with infinite tenderness. "If I'd known that all I had to do to get you to propose was buy you this place…I'd have bought it for you years ago and a brand new kitchen on top of it."

"It's not that you bought this for me. It's that you love me. Because I can't see my future without you in it and I don't want one without you because I love you even more than you love me." The sound Louis made was part amusement, part nerves. "So is that a yes?"

"It's not possible for you to love me more, but yeah, yes. Yes I'll marry you."

With a whoop of glee Louis threw himself at Teddy, the two crashing to the floor with the former sprawled over the latter, love and laughter in his eyes. "I object, I love you more."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"We'll just see about that."

Pressing their lips together the very enthusiastic snogging that followed was horribly messy and uncoordinated, both men too busy grinning like idiots and caught up in the moment to give a damn. They were going to get married. They would have their home in Grimmauld Place and a second one here, homes that they'd build together to the best of their ability.

It wouldn't always be perfect…but it would be right.

And knowing that absolutely, Louis's voice contained not a hint of doubt as he spoke the familiar words.

"Love you muchly, Teddy bear."

"Love you muchly too, Hummingbird."

)

The End


End file.
